In the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s latest Colorado TV ad, the story of John Hickenlooper’s corruption continues as voters learn he didn’t just let a foreign energy company pollute air over lower income Denver neighborhoods, but also gave the company $11 million in tax breaks.
“John Hickenlooper spent years depending on a foreign energy company for event sponsorships and campaign donations, then in exchange stayed silent as the company was allowed to set its own pollution limits and dump 8.5 tons of cyanide into the air,” said NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez. “But worse than just taking the company’s money and looking the other way, Hickenlooper also gave them $11 million in tax breaks.”
As mayor and Governor, Hickenlooper spent years handing out tax breaks to Suncor, going on taxpayer-funded trips to Suncor’s Canadian facilities, and accepting their event sponsorships and campaign donations. In exchange, his Administration repeatedly looked the other way and allowed Suncor to effectively set its own emission standards, which resulted in 8.5 tons of cyanide per year being released. During the Democratic primary, opponents Trish Zornio and Andrew Romanoff attacked Hickenlooper at a forum for looking the other way on Suncor. Romanoff even brought it up again during a townhall with the Sunrise Movement, calling it “environmental racism.”