New directions

State Rep. Judy Solano

Saturday, May 6, 2006

Thomas Friedman, author of the best-selling book The World is Flat, wrote in a recent column that energy independence is the "biggest issue of our day." He is not alone when he predicts the transition from oil to renewable energies will be the largest growth industry in the 21st century. The way we power our cars, homes, schools and offices is all going to change - and already is. If we don't dominate this industry, others will.

Colorado must lead the charge in the production and utilization of renewable energies. We have both the intellectual and natural resources in place to be a model for the world. There's no better way to simultaneously strengthen our economy, protect our environment and defend our national security.

This year I'm proud to chair the first House select committee on renewable energy, which meets throughout this year's legislative session. We are discussing, debating, evaluating and studying issues surrounding this growing business sector. The committee is soliciting broad input from leaders in the renewable energy community to find out what steps state government can take to make Colorado as friendly as possible to this emerging industry.

In 2004, the voters approved Amendment 37, which requires the state to adopt renewable energy standards, setting in motion an unprecedented push toward a sustainable future. Our state is, in many ways, already on the cutting edge of innovation in this field and poised to leverage its existing work force. We're home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which leads the nation in developing renewable energies.

Located in Golden, NREL has amassed irreplaceable engineering and scientific expertise, including first-class researchers and facilities. Over the past 28 years, NREL has succeeded in bringing the costs of technology to a point where widespread commercialization of renewable energies is now possible.

A joint resolution was overwhelmingly passed at the start of this year's legislative session, urging President Bush to aggressively fund NREL in the future. NREL was forced to slash jobs this year because of budget cuts. President Bush, who described America as "addicted to oil" in his State of the Union address, visited NREL after our resolution was passed and restored some funding.

In the past 10 years, a million people have moved to Colorado. In the next decade, a million more are expected. The bad news is our energy consumption is growing faster than our population. House Democrats realize there's no time to lose. We passed the bipartisan Low Income Economic Assistance Package bill this year, which provides financial assistance to Coloradans struggling to pay their heating bills. In addition, Democrats insisted on including funds for energy-efficiency improvements, so we don't face the same problems in years to come. Financial assistance is great, but it's not a solution; it's a short-term fix.

Along these long-term lines, a bill this year will create a road map to guide our renewable energy endeavors. An annual energy profile of the state, with up-to-date statistics, data and projections is necessary to keep us on the right track and measure the state's progress.

We're also taking advantage of the tools living in Colorado affords us:

• The Front Range and the Eastern Plains are notorious for the high winds that make the aspen trees shimmer and the corn stalks shake. Harnessing this wind power to produce energy simply makes sense. Instead of large upfront payments, which discourage the development of wind-energy infrastructure, we have a bill that reworks the formula so wind-energy producers make tax payments over time. Values for property will be assigned only when facilities such as wind turbines are used to produce energy.

• Coal is used to generate just over half of America's electricity needs, and significant reserves are scattered throughout the state, especially on the Western Slope. We're behind legislation that sets aside money to help develop cleaner ways of producing energy from coal, which can significantly cut down on carbon dioxide emissions - the leading cause of global warming.

• The same goes for solar power. Colorado has four distinct seasons, but the one constant is abundant sunshine throughout. Solar power is becoming more and more feasible as technology advances and prices drop.

Most of all, the importance of conservation cannot be dismissed as simply a personal virtue - something admired, but not necessary. Resources like water and natural gas have limits.

Changing the way we do business across Colorado has to happen if we are to enjoy any semblance of energy security in the future.

State Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, chairs the House Select Committee on Strategic Renewable Energy and is a member of the House Agriculture and House Education Committees. She can be reached at the state Capitol at 303-866-2918.