Looking for a liberal in Denver? Look no further than the Lefty Love Palace.
Headquartered in swanky LoDo digs at 1536 Wynkoop Street, a growing number of liberal organizations, including Environment Colorado, CoPIRG, Sierra Club, Wild Earth Guardians, Western Conservation Foundation, and ProgessNow.org, all call the Alliance Building home.
The newest addition: The Sonoran Institute, a liberal think-tank based out of Tucson, Ariz., professing to focus on “growth, energy, transportation planning and related policy and legislative issues.”
In its first month in LoDo, the out-of-state org has proven it is out of touch with the issues facing Colorado families. With a new study claiming that Bill Ritter's proposed severance tax increase on the state's oil and gas industry won't impact prices at the pump, Sonoran is missing the point.
The threat alone of another tax increase has been enough to send some Colorado energy producers packing their bags, sending workers to other states with more stable regulatory and tax environments. EnCana Oil and Gas has already redirected $500 million out of Colorado.
Colorado's oil and gas producers are responsible for keeping most of the state’s Western Slope from falling into a recession. While much of the rest of the nation is suffering from a housing slump of epic proportions, western Colorado home values are stable, benefiting from exponential job growth. If the severance tax increase passes, regardless of the effect it has on prices at the pump, industry will suffer and jobs will be lost.
The Sonoran Institute’s stated mission is to “inspire and enable community decisions and public policies that respect the land and people of western North America.” If this is the case, the Sonoran Institute should not be advocating for policies that will sink Colorado’s booming oil and gas industry.
Then again, Sonoran's radical positions will find a friendly response in its swanky LoDo digs.