Colorado
is emerging as an international player in the next great technological and
industrial revolution. The impending state renewables bill is aggressive,
job-creating, and could result in as many as 100,000 homes being equipped with
solar panels, small wind turbines, or other clean energy sources. And it
couldn't have come at a better time. According to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven
Chu, "America has the opportunity to lead the world in a new industrial revolution," and promoting
Colorado's renewable energy industry is key to our success.
A recent study released by the Center
for American Progress suggests that the U.S. "has an urgent economic imperative to be a clean energy
leader" and Colorado has the
opportunity to be the national leader that propels us in this international
clean energy race. As noted by U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), the state's
efforts to increase the use of renewable energy has already created 20,000 jobs. The economic benefits of the renewables bill
that's currently moving through the Colorado legislature, combined with its
clear advantages for the environment and for strengthening national security,
have made it a bipartisan effort.
Coloradans
understand the need to seize this opportunity to push the country forward,
and to make sure we do it right from the start. Interior Secretary and
native Coloradoan Ken Salazar has taken this to heart. Instead of letting
proposed projects languish in red tape, Secretary Salazar has directed the
Bureau of Land Management to fast track proposals for more than 30 renewable energy projects across the
West. While he's clearly
interested in moving ahead, he has also been a long-time advocate of balanced
policy - he knows that while it's important to move quickly to develop
renewable energy, we need to consider potential environmental impacts from the
start. As he's said, "In harnessing renewable resources we act as stewards of our lands – like farmers who harvest abundant supplies
but protect the resources that will sustain us for generations." A responsible,
common-sense approach to energy development like this will keep renewable
energy projects moving forward across the country.
The clean energy frontier is right here
in Colorado, which means only good things for our economy, environment, and
communities. It's rare to find a solution to energy problems that has support
from farmers and ranchers, hunters and anglers, labor unions, conservation
groups, and industry, but here in Colorado, we're working together to lead the
way.
Michael Bowman is a fifth-generation Coloradoan and farmer from Wray. He serves on the National Steering Committee for the national agriculture energy working group 25x25 and served as chair of Colorado's New Energy Future in 2006. Bowman is a candidate for the Colorado Senate District 1 seat.
But, in Colorado, we do have a toehold in the renewable energy industry. We need to support that as well. (There is also a brand new plasma project just built along my commute route.)
We will need the energy from both kinds of projects and the revenue from both kinds of energy industries. We just need to back the new industries, to get those costs per watt down to competitive levels without choking the energy supply, sending oil industry profits skyrocketing.
We need politicians to promote the new and phase out the old, whether it be oil and gas, healthcare, debt, benefit packages, and ideologies, carefully, so we don't capsize the ship of state in the process.
because OIL and GAS just bought up many contracts in Colorado, and OIL/GAS/COAL has a BAD HABIT of making sure no 'new' technology EVER competes with them
Those TIED to OIL/GAS (McInnis) have NO BUSINESS running our state.