Committee advances bill to allow renewable projects on brownfields; amendment on public hearings fails

Senator Linstead told the Energy Committee that House Bill 12-68 creates a voluntary, local-government-led pathway to redevelop previously disturbed lands — such as brownfields, capped landfills, former mines and select oil-and-gas sites — for renewable energy and storage projects. The sponsor said the bill embeds the process in existing local planning tools and allows use of tax increment financing for public infrastructure tied to renewable projects, but does not impose statewide mandates.

Multiple local-government and conservation groups testified in favor. Bev Stables of the Colorado Municipal League said the bill would provide a practical tool for communities to revitalize underused industrial parcels. Duncan Gilchrist of The Nature Conservancy and witnesses from the Colorado Farm Bureau, Western Resource Advocates, the Colorado Solar and Storage Association, and the Coalition for Community Solar Access described environmental and economic benefits, including reduced pressure on agricultural and natural lands and better siting near load centers.

Jamie Valdez, a Green Latinos advocate from Pueblo, spoke in an 'amend' position and asked for stronger procedural safeguards to ensure frontline communities can participate (multimodal outreach, 30-day notice, plain-language summaries and multiple meeting formats). Several senators asked how designation would interact with local permitting and neighbors’ concerns; witnesses said the bill is permissive, local governments retain zoning controls, and the designation process includes a required public hearing and engagement language consistent with statutory guidance for disproportionately impacted communities.

Senator Pelton offered amendment L003 to remove the administrative-approval pathway and require an additional public hearing on construction permits for projects in designated reinvestment areas. Sponsor Senator Linstead urged a no vote, arguing the initial designation hearing is thorough and that projects would still be subject to applicable zoning and land-use requirements. The amendment failed on a 4–5 vote.

Senator Linstead then moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; the motion passed on a recorded vote, 6–3.

What’s next: HB 12-68 will go to the Committee of the Whole. Reporters and stakeholders identified key follow-ups: whether local governments use the designation, how local permitting will be handled in practice, and how the statutory engagement requirements will be implemented for disproportionately impacted communities.