Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It’s Thursday June 17th.

 

Today - Off-roading is a $24 billion-dollar industry in Colorado that surged during the pandemic. Now rural communities are struggling to balance the economic boom and the noise and other issues that come along with it.

 

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to June 17th, 1859 when George F Griffith found gold in a broad valley at Georgetown. Griffith had mined in California before joining his family on the Missouri River in Iowa. Then, with rumors of gold in the Rocky Mountains Griffith joined a party bound for Pikes Peak country. Years later Georgetown also became Colorado’s first silver boomtown.

 

Now, our feature story.

 

Off-highway vehicles, or OHVs, have seen a surge in popularity in Colorado since the pandemic. Off-roading is a $24 billion-dollar economic driver for the state. Now rural, remote towns are struggling to balance the economic boom of welcoming off-road enthusiasts and the noise, pollution and traffic problems they can bring. Colorado Sun contributor Nancy Lofholm and Reporter Thy Vo talk about how towns are dealing with the growing popularity of OHVs. 

 

To read Nancy’s story on how Colorado towns are dealing with off-highway vehicles, visit coloradosun.com.

 

And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:

 

Thieves across Colorado are targeting catalytic converters, a key part of a vehicle’s emissions system that can be easily stolen and sold to recycling companies or scrap yards for a quick profit, according to police. The converters are designed to convert environmentally hazardous carbon monoxide emitted by an engine into less harmful gases. They’re attractive to thieves because of the rising cost of precious metals used to make them. 

 

The Colorado Privacy Act passed by lawmakers earlier this year would give Coloradans the right to tell companies to stop collecting their data and delete any personal data collected. If signed into law by the governor, the measure would apply to companies that target Colorado residents, store or process personal data on more than 100,000 consumers a year, or which profit from the sale or processing of personal data for at least 25,000 consumers a year. The law doesn’t apply to all data, such as employment records, personal data like health or financial information that is governed by existing state or federal laws, or data that is no longer linked to a specific consumer. 

 

Colorado oil and gas regulators worried the state will be left on the hook for plugging and cleaning up wells abandoned by their operators want companies to post a financial guarantee to cover the cost. The rules would apply to all 50,000 wells in the state and would require operators to post a $78,000 guarantee for each well they own. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is especially worried about wells that produce only tiny amounts of oil. Operators of these low-producing wells say making them post large bonds may cause them to go out of business and create more orphan wells. Colorado currently has 535 orphan-well sites to remediate, with 239 wells to plug.

 

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. And don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

 

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you&rsquo;re listening to the Daily Sun-Up with the Colorado Sun. It&rsquo;s Thursday June 17th.
&nbsp;
Today - Off-roading is a $24 billion-dollar industry in Colorado that surged during the pandemic. Now rural communities are struggling to balance the economic boom and the noise and other issues that come along with it.
&nbsp;
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
&nbsp;
Today, we take you back to June 17th, 1859 when George F Griffith found gold in a broad valley at Georgetown. Griffith had mined in California before joining his family on the Missouri River in Iowa. Then, with rumors of gold in the Rocky Mountains Griffith joined a party bound for Pikes Peak country. Years later Georgetown also became Colorado&rsquo;s first silver boomtown.
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.
&nbsp;
Off-highway vehicles, or OHVs, have seen a surge in popularity in Colorado since the pandemic. Off-roading is a $24 billion-dollar economic driver for the state. Now rural, remote towns are struggling to balance the economic boom of welcoming off-road enthusiasts and the noise, pollution and traffic problems they can bring. Colorado Sun contributor Nancy Lofholm and Reporter Thy Vo talk about how towns are dealing with the growing popularity of OHVs.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
To read Nancy&rsquo;s story on how Colorado towns are dealing with off-highway vehicles, visit coloradosun.com.
&nbsp;
And Before we go, here are a few stories that you should know about today:
&nbsp;
Thieves across Colorado are targeting catalytic converters, a key part of a vehicle&rsquo;s emissions system that can be easily stolen and sold to recycling companies or scrap yards for a quick profit, according to police. The converters are designed to convert environmentally hazardous carbon monoxide emitted by an engine into less harmful gases. They&rsquo;re attractive to thieves because of the rising cost of precious metals used to make them.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Colorado Privacy Act passed by lawmakers earlier this year would give Coloradans the right to tell companies to stop collecting their data and delete any personal data collected. If signed into law by the governor, the measure would apply to companies that target Colorado residents, store or process personal data on more than 100,000 consumers a year, or which profit from the sale or processing of personal data for at least 25,000 consumers a year. The law doesn&rsquo;t apply to all data, such as employment records, personal data like health or financial information that is governed by existing state or federal laws, or data that is no longer linked to a specific consumer.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Colorado oil and gas regulators worried the state will be left on the hook for plugging and cleaning up wells abandoned by their operators want companies to post a financial guarantee to cover the cost. The rules would apply to all 50,000 wells in the state and would require operators to post a $78,000 guarantee for each well they own. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is especially worried about wells that produce only tiny amounts of oil. Operators of these low-producing wells say making them post large bonds may cause them to go out of business and create more orphan wells. Colorado currently has 535 orphan-well sites to remediate, with 239 wells to plug.
&nbsp;
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>. And don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow for a special holiday episode. Now, a quick message from our editor.
&nbsp;
The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
&nbsp;
Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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