Gov Hickenlooper vetoes bill requiring legislative oversight of road deals

Under 50 private contract

On Weds June 5, Gov. John Hickenlooper vetoed SB 14-197 “Transportation Enterprise Transparency Act”. The bill sponsored by Senator Matt Jones of Louisville and Rep Mike Foote of Lafayette required legislative approval for key terms in future PPP negotiations during privatization of Colorado highways.

Help fight back against the onslaught of 50 year Colorado highway privatization contracts that create private sector windfall profits at the expense of taxpayers.

• Gov Hickelooper’s veto tells lawmakers and the public that the interests of contractors and Plenary come first. The DSI lawsuit is Colorado’s last hope to retain control of public highways.

• For the next 50 years, round trip tolling on US 36 in rush hour in the toll lane will start at $9 to $12 and rise to $28 or more, indexed with inflation. The public was illegally shut out of the decision making process.

• Did you know four new toll lanes will soon be added to I-70 in downtown Denver in a $1.1 billion dollar project overseen by Australia’s Macquarie Capital?

• For only $20 million in public financing the state could have avoided granting a 50 year blank check written by taxpayers to the US 36 toll road developer Plenary.

• HPTE is in the process of writing 8 more blank checks. Did you know that I-70 in the mountains, I-25 north to Ft Collins and C-470 wrapping around the sw of Denver are being privatized and tolled following the same blank check model? In downtown Denver, 4 new toll lanes are being added to I-70.

• CDOT makes the false claim that toll road developers will bear all the financial risk of these deals. At virtually every turn of the contract, the public will pay whenever tolls are disrupted.

• For instance, if an emergency, like flooding, closes Highway 36 for more than 12 hours in a year, all taxpayers will be required to pay uncollected tolls to Plenary. In the southern US, toll road developers force state governments to pay tolls during hurricane evacuations.

Now Colorado’s last hope to retain financial and policy control of highways is a legal challenge by Boulder’s Drive SunShine Institute (DSI) - a non-profit, clean energy organization.

The heavy lifting on the initial stages of the legal action has been done. Now we need your help to file an immediate injunction.

Laws violated include the Administrative Procedure Act, Colorado Open Record Act, and the SunShine laws.

How is privatization of Colorado highways happening without approval from the public?

Only the courts can enforce our public rights. Only with your help can Drive SunShine Institute fight for Colorado public highways.

You can make a difference. Thank you for your generous support.

Click here to give $20, $200 or $500 or other amount to fight back for Colorado public highways!
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(donate via the safe and secure Paypal system. DSI is a 501(c)(3) educational organization and donations are tax deductible)

With your help the DSI injunction will:

1. stop the illegal tolling on the newly constructed portion of US 36 by Plenary and

2. prevent two person vehicles from being forced to pay tolls in the HOV lane on US 36 and I-25.

3. stop 50-year deal making by CDOT and toll road developers that hides important financial and transportation details on eight other projects from the public.

Proper public input to protect Colorado public highways must be allowed.

Enforce your rights. Click here to donate generously now.
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Together we can force CDOT and HPTE to respect the public interest and follow the law.

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