The economy for shale-rich Colorado is improving, though a tight labor market and pressure outside the energy sector may be constraining, a budget report finds. The labor market for Colorado is one of the strongest in the country, with the January unemployment rate ranking the third lowest at 2.9 percent. In his State of the State address in January, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said his agenda balanced clean energy with gains from shale oil and gas. Oil from Colorado accounts for about one out of every 50 barrels produced in the United States. Spending in the oil and gas sector declined and put some pressure on tax revenue growth early last year when crude oil prices dropped below […]