Voter-Approved Referendums:
a WIN for Air Quality
In this election, voters gave us three wins for clean air
and healthy living:
-
Amendment 37: ensuring the use of
clean, renewable energy resources.
-
FasTracks 4A: providing alternative
transportation in metro Denver
-
Amendment 35: raising Colorado’s
tobacco tax from the lowest in the nation
Amendment 37
Through the renewable energy initiative, Coloradans are
supporting clean air alternatives to coal and natural gas. This summer,
the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution in
support of this initiative, which requires Colorado’s largest utility
companies to generate 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by
2015. This will reduce sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, particle, and other
emissions from coal-burning power plants, thus improving the quality of
the air we breathe and the scenic vistas we cherish.
FasTracks 4A
FasTracks is another victory for healthy air. Motor
vehicles are responsible for nearly 60 percent of outdoor air pollution.
For people with existing respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic
bronchitis, and emphysema, this pollution causes shortness of breath,
wheezing, and chest pain. FasTracks will provide the Denver metro region
with an alternative transportation plan that will cut down on harmful
emissions from cars. Amendment 35
Amendment 35 increased the tax on cigarettes by 64 cents
per pack, bringing the cost of tobacco in Colorado up to the national
average. Colorado was the only state in the country to exempt tobacco from
a state sales tax, leaving only a 20-cent excise tax on a product that is
costing citizens of Colorado $1.02 billion in health care costs. By
bringing Colorado in line with other states, voters created a new revenue
stream that will fund the Child Health Program, Medicaid, community health
centers, and increase education and cessation programs. Fewer smokers will
mean better indoor and outdoor air quality for everyone.
Through these initiatives, voters placed Colorado on a course for cleaner
air and a healthier environment.
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