Economy/Politics

Jan 2, 2024

Unlocking America’s Energy Security Begins in the West — Here’s Why

History has shown time and again that rising conflicts in distant lands can negatively impact energy security here at home. Such conflicts can be easy to ignore until they hit consumers directly in the form of higher energy costs. With the U.S. currently engaged now in wars in Europe and the Middle East and with […]

Dec 20, 2023

Capitalizing on Colorado’s Homegrown Energy

In a global economy where products are not only delivered the next day, but sometimes the next hour, it can be easy to lose track of where things come from. A former industry trade executive used to quip, “Kids today think milk comes from the grocery story, gasoline from the Conoco station, and 2x4s from […]

Dec 19, 2023

Keeping up With a Dizzying Array of Regulatory Air Changes

Colorado’s oil and gas industry has spent years — and millions of dollars — staying in compliance with an ever-changing regulatory landscape where the goalposts are constantly moving. However, continuous rulemakings and changes in state oil and gas regulations make it increasingly difficult for companies to keep up. READ: [...]

Dec 19, 2023

How to Invest in 2024: Insights from Wealth Managers and Stock Market Experts

Wealth managers have been busy lately, answering clients’ questions about how to build and preserve wealth amid stock market turmoil, high interest rates and recession fears. While advisers maintain that their advice depends on each client’s goals, risk tolerance, age and other factors, there is a recurring theme to their re[...]

Dec 18, 2023

Balancing Net Zero and Keeping the Heat On

Access to affordable energy is a prerequisite for economic security, physical health and social wellbeing. Energy poverty occurs when a household is unable to access essential energy services and products. Coloradans are fortunate to live in a state where energy is reliably available, and instances of brownouts and blackouts are[...]

Dec 11, 2023

Denver Ranked 3rd Nationally in New Study for ‘Future-Readiness’

The future looks comparatively bright for the Mile High City, at least according to a recent study that set out to rank the 100 largest U.S. cities in terms of their “future-readiness.” Denver ranked third, behind only Seattle and San Jose, California. The study, released Oct. 10 and conducted by Point2, a Canada-based real [...]

Dec 11, 2023

2024: The Next Battle in Colorado’s Never-Ending Fracking Wars

For decades, Colorado’s oil and gas industry has been subject to a constant barrage of threats coming from a variety of angles, including regulation, legislation and litigation. During the last four of five election cycles, you can add ballot initiatives to that list. For years, environmental groups and ad-hoc coalitions have [...]

Dec 11, 2023

Challenges Ahead: Economic Concerns and Inflation Spell Trouble for 2024 Elections

President Biden’s re-election prospects face serious challenges. Despite public approval for many of his initiatives and strong disdain for former President Trump’s and his most ardent supporters’ behaviors, polls increasingly show Biden losing enough swing states to shift the electoral college in Trump’s favor. A myriad[...]

Dec 11, 2023

Who Will Lead Colorado’s Energy Future?

As ColoradoBiz prepared its fifth Energy Report, we identified more than 100 story ideas for consideration. From renewables to hydrogen to the electric grid to battery storage and critical minerals, we were again reminded that we’ll never run out of business stories to tell. And while this report may merely scratch the surface[...]

Nov 28, 2023

Colorado’s ‘Small but Mighty’ International Tourists: A Powerful Economic Force

International visitors have historically represented nearly 2 percent of overall visitors to Colorado, but they pack a punch: The spending of the international tourist is about 8 percent of the overall tourist spending for the state.  “We call them the ‘small but mighty crowd,’” says Andrea Blankenship, deputy director [...]

Nov 22, 2023

Inside the Colorado Semiconductor Industry Renaissance: CHIPS Act Sparks Manufacturing Revival

A $600 billion global market, semiconductors are omnipresent. They’re the chips used for memory, processing and other systems in basically every new phone, car, fridge, TV, computer and plane.  When supply chain woes hit the semiconductor industry in Asia, U.S. companies paid the price for decades of offshoring. National empl[...]

Nov 14, 2023

Colorado Cities Soar in Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities Report 2023

The Milken Institute, a global non-partisan think-tank, has provided its index-based Best Performing Cities report since 1999. The index is created by ranking 400 American cities across three categories: access to economic opportunity, labor markets and the impact of high-tech industries. The index gives a good assessment of com[...]