We have represented the Western Slope in the legislature for more than 20 years between us. When you’re from rural Colorado, fighting for our water is the first thing you learn how to do.
It’s a fight we have proudly waged. And once again, the time has come to act.
Colorado’s water policy faces a number of natural and federal legal challenges: We reside at the top of the continent, water flows downhill, our state is largely semi-arid and we must comply with various interstate water compacts.
A swelling population and the threat of climate change exacerbates these strains.
While we are fighting for solutions both inside and outside the government, we both agree that we must join forces to invest in the future of Colorado’s water. That is why we both are supporting Proposition DD this coming November.
While we realize that voting in the upcoming November election may not be the most pressing political issue on our minds right now, we want to alert everyone to this critical measure that, if passed, would be a monumental win for Colorado’s water.
Proposition DD asks voters to legalize sports betting for current casinos and online vendors. To us, this isn’t about sports betting, although it’s already rampant and regularly occurs on the black market. DD would institute a 10% tax on the casinos and online vendors who oversee sports betting. What’s important about DD is that it would generate an estimated $29 million annually that would almost exclusively go to fund the Colorado Water Plan.
While other water systems are vastly in need of help, Colorado’s is the No. 1 most strained system in the country. We have been badly in need of a down payment on our Water Plan – DD is that investment in our water.
The beauty of Proposition DD is that it not only provides funding for our water, but it does so at no extra cost to taxpayers. The only people affected by the tax are the casinos and online vendors. It simply takes those bets you want to make on upcoming Broncos games and invests them into a brighter and more sustainable future.
It’s no wonder Colorado is called the “Headwaters State.” Colorado’s lifeblood is in its water. It is the rivers on which we raft, the nutrients for our local farms, the snow on which we ski and the core of our beautiful natural habitats. You can trace every single reason that makes Colorado great back to its water.
At a time where our population is expected to double by 2060, it is more imperative than ever to protect our water.
We enjoy living and working in a state where others are coming by the thousands to live and work. However, we can’t sustain this growth unless we invest in protecting our water. As we stand now, with our current rate of consumption, we will deplete our water sources unless we find a solution.
At such a critical juncture, we must pass Proposition DD in order to protect Colorado’s future.
Fortunately, we aren’t the only ones who sees this as a slam dunk. During our decade each spent in government, we have rarely seen such a strong coalition as the block of support behind DD.
This bill passed through our state Legislature with resounding bipartisan support. Environmental groups, local businesses, farmers and politicians alike, unlikely allies as they are, have rallied around DD because protecting our water isn’t a partisan issue; it’s common sense.
Much like the success we saw with the Colorado Lottery System funding conservation efforts for our outdoor spaces, we expect DD to do the same for our water.
Coloradans already place an estimated $2.5 billion annually on illegal sports wagers.
Now, it’s up to you in November to take these bets out of the black market by legalizing, regulating and taxing them and putting the estimated $29 million per year in revenue to work to protect Colorado’s water.
Don Coram represents District 6 in the state Senate, comprising Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan and San Miguel counties. Ellen Roberts served in the state House and Senate; she lives in Durango.
