President's push for renewable energy means NREL, Colorado will take the lead

Rep. Bob Beauprez

Published February 18, 2006 at midnight

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In his State of the Union address three weeks ago, President Bush announced the Advanced Energy Initiative, which calls for a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research. That night, standing in the House chamber, I joined my colleagues in applauding the president for providing the leadership to call for increased funding for renewable energy.

Tuesday, I again will applaud the president, only this time to welcome him to one of Colorado's crown jewels, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. And my message for the president will be loud and clear: If you are looking for the best and brightest minds to help carry out your new initiative, then look no further than NREL.

President Bush struck a chord with many families and small businesses when he spoke about our country becoming "addicted to oil." It is bad enough that we have placed such a large stake in a nonrenewable resource, but the fact that it has caused us to become dependent on Middle Eastern countries that finance our terrorist enemies is simply unacceptable.

Innovations in renewable energies like solar, wind, biomass and hydrogen fuel cell technologies have given us a peek into a future where our country can slowly let go of our dependence on fossil fuels and instead rely more heavily on renewable energy forms that are cheaper and friendlier to our environment. There is no place in the country where the promise of this new technology is more evident than NREL.

In the past two years, unfortunately, congressional earmarks have diverted precious resources away from NREL. The diversion of these funds into other institutions has served to undermine the mission at NREL and other national laboratories. I believe this is a mistake that must be corrected.

The president has declared research into renewable energy a national priority. I believe that means adequately funding the premier national laboratory tasked with developing renewable energy should also be a national priority. Therefore, I will be introducing legislation that will prohibit earmarks in the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program. I believe money appropriated by Congress for renewable energy research should be available to NREL, not siphoned off to fund political pet projects in other parts of the country.

Our country's access to affordable, clean and reliable energy is directly correlated to our economic, environmental and national security interests, and so it should be prioritized. If the president's Advanced Energy Initiative is to succeed - and I hope it does - then this is an important first step in securing the needed funds for our country's foremost renewable energy lab.

The president's visit to Golden sends the message that Colorado has a very important role to play in our nation's energy future. It is a role we should be comfortable with. Because when it comes to fueling our national economy, Colorado has always found itself at the front of the line, helping lead the way to a smarter, more innovative future. Tuesday at NREL, the torch will be passed to the next generation of energy providers and Colorado will retain its place among the states that fuel America. It is a role with which we are familiar.

Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez is in his second term representing Colorado's 7th Congressional District.

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