A Colorado Rocky Mountain ‘Hi!’

DENVER — A couple of lawmakers hereabouts want you to up and move iron into their territory.

According to local media, Republican legislator Cory Gardner ain’t alone when he pines that “Colorado is at a serious disadvantage when it comes to attracting truckers and trucking companies to our state.”

Nearly 28,000 truckers have left the state or can’t find jobs, and the Colorado politicians figure it’s because other neighboring states offer greater incentives.

Along with Gardner, a posse of other reps, including Greg Brophy, Gerry Sonnenberg, and Buffie McFadyen, are aiming to lure companies to their state with sales and tax credits.

For one thing, Gardner and McFadyan drew up a tax-amendment called House Bill 1298 and reckon it can be introduced it to the House Finance Committee this week.

“If you buy a semi-tractor in Utah, you would save thousands of dollars over what you would pay in Colorado,” Gardner says. “It’s the same thing in Nebraska and Kansas.” Their new amendment, they say, would level the playing field.

They’re also under the impression that something called a “green truck” grant would entice investors and make it easier for truckers to buy more expensive EPA-approved iron in the state in 2010.

Two other legislators, Sonnenberg and Brophy, meanwhile, introduced a bill that will allow bigger trucks on Colorado roads and make them eligible for lower fees when a new surcharge for road safety and bridges takes effect July 1.