Phil Castle, The Business Times What local government officials hoped might be a trend of increasing sales tax collections has ended. If there’s a consolation, declines reported in February come during what’s usually one the lowest months for collections anyway. The City of Grand Junction reported a 2.3 percent decrease in February sales tax collections compared […]
A monthly measure of optimism among small business owners has dropped on less upbeat expectations for hiring, sales and the overall economy. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index fell 2.7 points in February to 91.4, a reading historically associated with recession, not recovery. The index is based on […]
The pace of job growth in the United States has picked up, but hasn’t yet matched average monthly payroll gains for 2013. According to the latest statistical snapshot from the Department of Labor, nonfarm payrolls grew 175,000 in February, the biggest gain in three months. Moreover, initial estimates for job growth in January and December […]
Colorado ranks ninth among the 50 states in the latest census tracking the number of people employed in manufacturing and installing solar energy systems. While more than 3,600 people in the state worked in the sector in 2013, job growth has leveled off. “The sky’s the limit on solar power. But to get solar growing […]
Visitors to national monuments and parks in Colorado during 2012 spent a total of nearly $350 million and supported almost 5,000 jobs in the state, according to a new report from the National Park Service. “From Mesa Verde to Dinosaur National Monument, the national parks of Colorado attract millions of visitors a year from across […]
A former Western Colorado resident who founded an international charity that provides free health care from a hospital ship will share his experiences at an annual event celebrating entrepreneurship. Don Stephens, founder and president of Mercy Ships, will deliver the keynote address at Colorado Mesa University Entrepreneurship Day events in Grand Junction and Montrose. Entrepreneurship […]
An economic development group plans to research the potential benefits to the Western Colorado economy of increased liquefied natural gas exports. The Grand Junction Economic Partnership received a one-year, $15,000 grant from the Unconventional Energy Center at Colorado Mesa University to fund the effort. John Harpole, president of Mercator Energy, will lead the project. His […]
Colorado has imposed sweeping new air quality regulations on oil and natural gas development in the state. The new rules, enacted on an 8-1 vote of the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission, are the first in the nation to regulate methane emissions from oil and gas operations. The new rules also require operators to install […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Export opportunities exist for coal mined in Western Colorado, according to the founder of a research company that tracks coal from mines to markets on a global basis. The high energy content and low sulphur content make coal mined in the region especially attractive, said Stephen Doyle, founder and chief executive […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Even after studying the energy industry for 40 years, John Felmy remains surprised by innovations that could make the United States the top producer in the world. “It’s a really exciting time. I never dreamed this was possible,” said Felmy, chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute. A combination of hydraulic […]