Slashing the clean air budget

To the editor,

I was shocked and dismayed to learn that Republicans in both the State House and Senate – including our very own State Rep. J. Paul Brown – have recently moved to block $8.5 million in funding for our state clean air agency. They effectively voted to shut down our state’s air quality program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE), purely for political reasons. Not only does this threaten our air quality, but these cuts to the state budget also mean that 96 Coloradans will be out of work by July 1, and businesses like hospitals, airports and breweries could be unable to get permits and therefore risk losing money.

Our air quality in the Four Corners is poor, as evidenced by the fact that we have the largest methane cloud in the country. We are blessed with natural resources we are spoiling. Our economy and region depend upon clean air and vistas for tourism and our community depends upon a robust public health program to protect residents and visitors, especially children and the elderly.

So why did these elected officials vote to block clean air funding for the entire state? Because they want to keep Gov. Hickenlooper from writing a state plan to cut carbon emissions and from participating in the national Clean Power Plan program. But here’s the irony: rather than keeping the feds out of the state, by gutting our clean air agency, they’re actually inviting them in to take over for the CDPHE to help us comply with regulations. What a backwards, irresponsible position to take, all in the name of political partisanship and ideology.

It’s time for the GOP to enter the 21st century to address serious issues before us. It is shameful for Sen. Ellen Roberts and Rep. J. Paul Brown to gamble with and put our public health, economy and environment at risk. They both need to start demonstrating real leadership and representing the well-being of their constituents first, not the irresponsible politics of their party. Do your jobs! Stand up to your GOP colleagues’ nonsense and work to restore and maintain funding for our air-quality program and clean air across Colorado.

– Ellen Stein, Durango

Untangling Hospital Provider Fee

To the editor,

The issue of the Hospital Provider Fee (HPF) is confusing and technical. To me, this issue has good arguments on both sides and takes a lot of thought and reasoning to come to the right conclusion. The HPF, associated with Obamacare, was passed by the legislature in 2009 as a way to get federal dollars to backfill the costs that hospitals incur from Medicaid patients and patients who cannot or do not pay.

I was originally under the impression that the Hospital Provider Fee was a fee that each patient paid, mostly through their health insurance, for each night of stay in a hospital. One of my fellow legislators ran a bill in my Health, Insurance and Environment Committee that would have required hospitals to put this fee on a patient’s bill. I thought it was a reasonable request, but the hospitals were strongly opposed to it. Finally, they helped me to understand that patients do not pay the fee.

Simply stated, this is how the HPF works: Each hospital sends money, the amount depending on how many nights patients have spent in that hospital, to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). HCPF sends that money to the federal government which in turn sends a check for twice the amount back to HCPF. After doubling its money, HCPF then disperses the money to hospitals depending on how many Medicaid and non-paying customers they had. These transactions take place in a matter of minutes. The total amount received by the hospitals is about $800 million per year.

When the HPF was first passed, several Republicans argued that it should be a separate “enterprise.” However, it was finally decided to connect it with the General Fund. The problem now is that, even though the HPF is not income from Colorado taxpayers, because it is not separate from the General Fund, it artificially bumps up against the TABOR refund trigger. To make the HPF an enterprise would free up about $300 million.

The question before the Legislature today is, do we make the HPF an “enterprise” like originally some Republicans wanted, and if we do so, is it constitutional. Most Republican legislators believe that it would be unconstitutional to make the HPF an enterprise. However, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and former Attorney General John Suthers, both Republicans, say that it would be constitutional. The Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Hickenlooper want the money. Almost every business and social organization in the state believes that HPF should be an enterprise.

I don’t like the idea of the HPF in the first place, but the fact is we have it for now. I believe that a mistake was made in 2009 in not making the HPF an enterprise. I agree with the Attorneys General, that we should fix that mistake. Because the money that will be freed up is for one time only, it should be used for capital projects like highways and building maintenance and not for legislators’ pet projects.

– Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio

Opposing unnecessary rate hikes

To the editor,

Electricity rates matter to LPEA’s members. Unfortunately, a few months ago, six LPEA board members voted to increase both the monthly electric rates and the base charge. Over the past few years this group has been responsible for base charge increases of 53 percent, and they are planning on continuing to do so for years to come. Unfortunately, increasing the base charge directly conflicts with two co-op commitments, keeping rates low and supporting member’s efforts to conserve and make their homes more efficient.

Second, since LPEA’s profit margin is up and at the maximum allowable level, progressive board members promoted a compromise bill keeping rates lower. Unfortunately, this bill was voted down by the conservative members of the board, once again contributing to the partisan division on the board contrary to member’s interests. For these reasons, incumbent LPEA Board member Jack Turner has consistently opposed unnecessary rate increases.

Please vote for Jack Turner in District 4, standing up for every co-op member.

– Carol Shepard, Durango