GOLDEN – The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has 40 years of history behind it, but walking through its sprawling Front Range campus one can’t help but think 40 years into the future. Solar cells that can be spray-painted onto windows or printed at a Home Depot; power grids that can take in a wide portfolio of traditional and renewable energy and adapt to changing environments; homes with appliances that communicate with each other to share power between electric cars, water heaters, applia... Read more

With dispensaries bringing in as much green as they ship out, it may come as a surprise that banks aren't ready to cash in on the booming industry. One of the problems posed by continual federal restrictions is that banks operating across the nation aren't willing to risk lawsuits by accepting money earned from a technically illegal activity. That means marijuana businesses usually find themselves with more cash than they can keep onsite, and without the services of a bank, that leads to less-se... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Reps. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) and Jared Polis (CO-02) introduced the Helicopter Fuel System Safety Act to require all newly manufactured helicopters be built with safer fuel systems. The legislation requires within one year all newly manufactured helicopters comply with the recommendations from the Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group which significantly reduces the risk of post-crash fires. Additionally, the legislation requires the Federal Aviation Administra... Read more

Twenty months after 9Wants to Know started an investigation looking into antiquated helicopter fuel systems, members of Colorado’s congressional delegation appear ready to act on many of the investigation’s findings. Thursday, Rep. Jared Polis and Rep. Ed Perlmutter introduced what they’re calling the “Helicopter Fuel System Safety Act.” The legislation, an extension of previously proposed legislation, would require helicopter manufacturers to place crashworthy fuel systems onboard every newly b... Read more

Today, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-7) introduced the Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act. This bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by Rep. Jim Bridenstine (OK-1) and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), is the House companion to S. 141 introduced by Senators Gary Peters, Cory Gardner, Cory Booker, and Roger Wicker which passed the Senate earlier this year. “Space Weather events can cause great damage to our infrastructure and our economy,” said Rep. Ed Perlmutter. “Colorado’s research community... Read more

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed a vote on the Republicans’ controversial health care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. McConnell had pledged a vote before the July 4 recess, but now lawmakers will go home without any decisions made. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, has remained publicly undecided on the bill even as other defections made his vote less significant for the eventual passage or failure of the bill. However, Gardner could become a swing vote again as R... Read more

House Democrats are stepping up pressure on Deutsche Bank to access information on President Donald Trump’s multimillion-dollar loans from the institution. In a letter sent to the bank’s lawyers this week, leading House Financial Services Committee Democrats including California Rep. Maxine Waters rejected the institution’s claims that it could not legally release details of the loans for privacy reasons. Last month, the Democrats demanded information about the estimated $340 million in loans s... Read more

Members of the Justice Department’s Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety have been ordered to "undertake a review of existing policies" regarding federal marijuana law enforcement, among other things. Their report is due on or before July 27, and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws believes the document may use as its template a list by a fellow at the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation of eleven ways the administration of President Donald Trump can shut dow... Read more

The positive energy and sense of community spilled over to the Congressional Women’s Softball Game from the previous week’s Congressional Baseball Game. With a record number of tickets sold and money raised for young women with breast cancer, the members losing 2-1 to the media team didn’t seem so bad. “We tried hard and we’ll try hard next year, but it was a great night and I felt like not only did we come together as a Congress, both Dems and Republicans, but as a community,” New York Democrat... Read more

One of the nation’s leading marijuana legalization groups says PNC Bank has notified it that it will close the organization’s 22-year-old accounts, a sign of growing concerns in the financial industry that the Trump administration will crack down on the marijuana business in states that have legalized it. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) lobbies to eliminate punishments for marijuana use but is not involved in growing or distributing the drug — an important distinction for federally regulated ... Read more