Today is a very good day

Today at 12:15 p.m. Governor Bill Ritter will kickstart the New Energy Economy when he signs HB-1281 and SB-100. I'd fully intended to make the trek out to NREL to watch the signing ceremony. But it appears life is going to get in the way. So instead I'm just going to be happy.

UPDATE: Done. A paragraph from the press release from the governor's office, for posterity:

"These new laws will improve our economic security, our environmental security and our national security," the governor added. "They will breathe new economic life into rural Colorado. They will create new jobs, and they will say to the rest of the world, 'Colorado is open for business in what will be one of the most important industries of the 21st Century.'"

Some facts about the two bills, again provided by the governor's office:

House Bill 1281

• Sponsors: Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village; Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder; and Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee.

• Doubles the renewable energy standard established by voters with the 2004 passage of Amendment 37.

• Large investor-owned utilities like Xcel must now provide 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020.

• Requires municipal utilities and rural electric providers to achieve a renewable energy goal of 10 percent by 2020 (they had been excluded from the requirements of Amendment 37).

• Provides a 3-to-1 credit to rural electric associations for investment in solar energy.

• A recent study found HB 1281 would provide significant economic benefits, particularly to rural Colorado, by:
1. Increasing Colorado's share of the GDP by $1.9 billion through 2020.
2. Increasing total wages paid to workers by $570 million.
3. Increasing the workforce by 4,100 person-years of employment.
4. Providing farmers, ranchers and other landowners with $50 million in lease payments for wind farms, crops and solar parks.
5. Generating $400 million in property tax revenue through 2020 to fund education and other services, particularly in rural Colorado.

Senate Bill 100

• Sponsors: Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Coal Creek Canyon, and Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West.

• Requires electric utilities subject to rate regulation to identify high-potential wind-energy locations by undertaking biennial reviews to designate "Energy Resource Zones" where transmission constraints hinder the delivery of electricity

• These utilities are then required to develop construction plans to improve transmission capacity.

• The bill allows utilities to recover costs during construction.

• Allows us to break the "chicken and the egg" cycle whereby wind companies don't build turbines until there is adequate transmission capacity, and utilities don't build transmission capacity until there are turbines.

Anytime you can get "the chicken and the egg cycle" into a press release, you should.

Opponents of New Energy Economy legislation wasting time

Governor Bill Ritter's New Energy Economy means jobs. It means innovation. It means a cleaner state. It means a habitable planet.

It also means a whole lot of whining from entrenched oil and gas interests and their friends in the legislature.

On Tuesday, a group of legislators led by Yuma Republican Cory Gardner asked Ritter to slow down energy legislation including HB-1341, which would overhaul the oil and gas panel. (Read about it in the Rocky or the Post.)

It begs the question, just how slowly would they like things to move? Climate change has been an issue for years. Decades, even. The effects are being felt now. We are lucky that Colorado still has the opportunity to seize a leadership position in the new - and essential - green economy.

Fortunately, the governor seems to understand this. And he isn't inclined to cave on one of the central planks of the Colorado Promise. A statement his office released Tuesday night reads, in part:

"My administration has made every effort to listen to the concerns of the energy and resource-development industry. We understand how important this industry is to our economy and the value it brings to our state. Our intent is to balance the extraction of resources with the concerns the people of this state have expressed surrounding impacts to our water, air and land. Over the past five years, members of the public have lodged more than 1,500 complaints with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conversation Commission regarding those impacts.

"By end of this year, the state will likely grant more than 6,000 new drilling permits, a doubling from just a few years ago. We will have received more than 33,000 permit applications. Colorado is in the midst of one of the largest energy-development cycles in decades, probably ever, and we must do all we can to protect the public's health and our environment.

"Harris Sherman, the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, and other members of my administration have spent more than 30 hours in stakeholder meetings with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the Colorado Petroleum Association and others interested parties regarding HB1341. We have spent twice that amount of time on the phone gathering input from and listening to stakeholders."

Translation: "The oil and gas industry has been heard. And will be heard. And now you're wasting time."

The same could be said in our nation's capital, where for years oil and gas interests have blocked attempts to slow global climate change. Finally, the voices of science, progress, passion and optimism are being heard. One can only hope they are not too late.

Ritter hails energy legislation (and etc.)

Best email waiting for me in my inbox? Bill Ritter's press release supporting landmark New Energy Economy legislation:

Gov. Bill Ritter today hailed the final passage of House Bill 1281, the legislative centerpiece of his 2007 renewable energy agenda for Colorado.

"I applaud lawmakers from both parties for their bipartisan cooperation and vision as they work to enact Colorado's New Energy Economy," Ritter said. "In 2004, when Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 37, we became the first state in the country to set renewable energy standards by citizen initiative.

"We're making history yet again with HB 1281 by expanding those standards and continuing to establish Colorado as the nation's renewable energy leader."

The governor congratulated lawmakers, investor-owned utilities, rural electric associations, environmental organizations, labor groups, consumer advocates and others for their collaborative efforts in shaping HB 1281.

"HB 1281 will help stimulate the rural areas at the heart of the New Energy Economy - regions like the Eastern Plains and San Luis Valley where wind, sun and agriculture are abundant," Ritter said. "The bill will help us attract manufacturers of wind turbines and solar products. It also will stimulate research and development of emerging energy technologies.

"And by expanding our renewable energy production and consumption, we'll reduce our reliance on foreign oil, which is good for our environment and our national security.

"I look forward to signing HB 1281 and the remainder of the New Energy Economy legislative package very soon," the governor added.

Other assorted good tidings:

• Hilarious: Bob Beauprez has a copycat.
• 2008 update: In Colorado, Washington and cyberspace.
• Lobbyists: Morgan Carroll owns you.

Bill Ritter, Morgan Carroll cheer me up

This morning the GOP has been corrupt, hypocritical, racist and corrupt again and again. I almost didn't want to check my RSS feeds again for fear I'd learn yet another way wingnuts are messing up our country.

But I did, because I'm actually getting my RSS feeds through an IV drip now. And I was pleased to find this from the Rocky:

More than a dozen bills aiming to transform Colorado into the green energy capital of the nation are wending their way through the legislative process, inching toward Gov. Bill Ritter's desk for his blessing.

Bills that double Colorado's current goal for electricity from renewable resources, help build power lines to carry wind energy, require gasoline to contain a certain amount of ethanol and have new homes and buildings comply with energy efficiency codes.

Ritter is expected to approve most of the major renewable energy and energy efficiency bills. He promised voters last year he would transform Colorado into a new energy economy that depends less on foreign oil or pollution-causing fossil fuels.

Promises made, promises kept.

Then I learned from Morgan Carroll that her worker's comp choice bill has passed out of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.

Sunshine and lollipops and rainbows, people. Life is good.

Diana DeGette makes it easy to stay positive

Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week stays on track thanks to co-operation between federal and state legislatures, as evidence by CD1 representative Diana DeGette:

Friday, March 2, at 2 pm MT U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, will address the Colorado State Senate Select Committee on Renewable Energy. Rep. DeGette will share with State Senators the Congressional agenda for renewable energy and discuss how federal and state governments can work more closely together to fund and promote clean energy.

For those who missed it, here's a link to my post "The many, many people who are not Diana DeGette."

Ritter willing to go to great lengths to create green economy

Kickin' butt and taking takin' names.

UPDATE: CoCo has more.

Bill Ritter to meet with President Bush

Speaking truth to power:

Ritter, who is in the nation's capitol for the National Governors Association's winter meetings, told an alliance of labor, business and environmental groups this morning that he hopes to make the case for promoting energy independence when he and other governors make their customary visit to the White House.

Clean energy to help Colorado economy

Western Democrat reports that global warming will worsen the drought across Western America. What are we going to do about it? Coyote Gulch mentions Governor Ritter's attempts to "to promote renewable energy in Colorado by supporting a bill winding it's way through the legislature." Meanwhile The Denver Post reports that Ritter's New Energy Economy will provide jobs for Colorado:

A bill to double the state's power generation from renewable energy would add 4,100 jobs by 2020 and contribute $1.9 billion to Colorado's economy, according to a study released Thursday by an environmental advocacy group.

The study by Environment Colorado said House Bill 1281 would bring substantial benefits to rural economies while also helping reduce airborne emissions.

"More clean, homegrown energy means more jobs and higher wages paid for Coloradans," Gov. Bill Ritter said at a news conference to announce the study results.

State regulators "stretching the science and the art"

From the Post:

Dennis Buechler of the National Wildlife Federation said drilling operations are driving away wildlife, one of Colorado's biggest industries. "We want to work with the industry, but they need to come our way too..."

Ritter asks for protections for roadless lands

Lost in the news of Friday's veto was the governor's recent effort to obtain temporary protections for roadless lands. Today's Sentinel reports:

Ritter sent a letter Friday to Regional Forester Rick Cables in Lakewood, asking for temporary protections for the state's roadless areas until Ritter can evaluate the recommendations of the Colorado Roadless Area Review Task Force, which spent about a year taking public comment about the future of the state's 4.4 million acres of roadless areas.

The AP's story from Saturday reported that many hunters and fishers want Ritter to go even further, complying with Clinton-era regulations:

Hunters and anglers who were courted by Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter in his election campaign last fall are now asking him to throw out or revamp a plan his Republican predecessor endorsed for protecting 4.1 million acres of national forest land...

David Petersen of Durango, a task force member and Trout Unlimited staffer, said while the panel did good work, he hopes Ritter withdraws the petition because the Clinton rule gives more protection to the roadless areas and reflects what an overwhelming majority of Coloradans want.

"At least 90% of all Coloradans who commented in writing or in person said what they wanted was full roadless protection," Petersen said.

After the election I wrote about the "slow shift of business groups and Libertarians into the Democratic camp." And now the GOP seems set on alienating the hunting and fishing community. If this keeps up, the GOP won't have any constituents left besides Big Oil and gay marriage opponents.

Cross-posted to SquareState.

Landfill gas trendy "renewable resource"

Somewhere between ingenuity and avoidance, there's this:

The city of Denver wants to use landfill gases to generate electricity and then sell it to a utility. Plans call for the construction of a gas-to-energy plant that would burn methane emitting from the Lowry Landfill and neighboring Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site. Xcel Energy is poised to buy the electricity... The project would help Xcel comply with Amendment 37, a statewide renewable energy requirement that voters approved in 2004. Voters "wanted us to look at all renewable resources, not just wind and solar, and this contract with Waste Management will help us meet those requirements," Xcel spokeswoman Ethnie Groves said.

House Dems pass military, energy bills

A press release from the House Democrats states, in part:

House Bill 1149, sponsored by State Representative Joe Rice (D-Littleton)... creates an exception for military personnel by allowing them to apply for an absentee ballot without personally signing the application... House Bill 1253, sponsored by Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder) would prohibit insurance carriers in the state from denying coverage to military personnel.

Rice's bill passed; Madden's has moved through the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Two seconds later, I received another release regarding two new energy bills that both passed through the House unanimously. Just the highlights:

House Bill 1087, sponsored by State Representative Andrew Kerr (D-Lakewood), would grant schools money to install wind turbines on campus... House Bill 1145, sponsored by Representative Michael Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs)... ensures that leased public lands will be available for green powered projects. Ninety percent of revenues from state lands fund K-12 education.

Bill Ritter and the power of the veto

I'd like to say I didn't see it coming. But I did. Today, Governor Bill Ritter vetoed HB-1072, setting off a firestorm of criticism and second-guessing.

Moderate changes the Colorado Labor Peace Act are a fine idea. But in this case, labor groups and the Republican Party both over-reacted, attempting to make political statements early in Ritter's term.

Ritter's response was unexpectedly savvy. First he restated his commitment to bipartisanship:

...I promised the people of Colorado over the last two years, that I would work tirelessly to bridge traditional divides, to bring together groups that often find themselves at odds: Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, developers and environmentalists. I vowed to listen to a wide range of views, to unite and to build consensus around a public policy agenda that speaks to the common good.

Then he chastised those who put him in this unwinnable situation:

From the beginning, this was a bitter, divisive and partisan battle. Opposite sides dug in, refusing to consider reasonable compromises. It demonstrated precisely why so many people have grown so cynical about American politics. The bill's proponents made no effort to open a dialogue with the opponents. At times, the opponents were neither respectful nor civil. It was over-heated politics at its worst.

Ritter made sure to leave the door open for the bill to come up again:

I am persuaded by their argument that changing long-time Colorado law relating to business and labor negotiations in this manner, in the atmosphere with which it was debated, is not now in the best interests of our state. (Ed. - Emphasisis added)

And Ritter finished by reminding all involved that his priorities as governor remain unchanged:

Creating the New Energy Economy, reforming health care, funding education, and building a 21st century transportation system requires that kind of [bipartisan] spirit and commitment.

Ritter's veto leaves him with the ability to re-open negotiations with labor, while building up IOU's from business groups. But it also leaves him with a heavy responsibility. Because those of us who supported him won't forget those elements of the Colorado Promise that Ritter held most dear. The voters are owed substantive proposals for guaranteed healthcare, a 21st Century transportation system, and major steps towards the implementation of a New Energy Economy that greatly reduces pollutants while providing a livlihood for thousands of workers.

The clock is ticking.

The 2007 federal budget: Colorado edition

Everybody (and everybody and everybody and everybody) has already pointed out that President Bush's new $2.9 trillion budget proposal funds a massive increase in military spending by cutting or underfunding domestic programs. What impact might we see locally? A couple highlights:

The White House's website trumpets funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but in a press release, Diana DeGette stated that the budget may underfund the program by $10 billion, "putting the nearly 176,000 uninsured children in Colorado at risk."

The budget would sell off federal lands to fund an increase in national park spending. And it would cut expected funding for Golden's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. As Mark Udall said, "Energy independence is so critical to our national security, our energy security and our economy that we cannot afford to shortchange programs that will move us forward."

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Global warming real. And worse than you feared.

On February 2, a team of 450 lead authors, 800 contributing authors, and 2,500 peer reviewers will unveil the first volume of a four-volume study of climate change. The results aren't pretty. Global warming is real, it's mankind's fault, and the results may destroy much of the planet. The Rocky Mountain News reports:

All 23 models agree that the planet will continue to warm as levels of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases rise in the coming decades... [E]xtreme weather - heat waves, droughts and heavy rains, for example - will likely become more frequent and more intense in coming decades. Dry spells could lengthen significantly across the western United States, southern Europe and other areas... [E]ven if greenhouse gas levels could be magically stabilized today, sea levels would rise 10 to 20 inches per century for the next 400 years or more, imperiling coastal regions.

The Colorado and national Democrats are fighting for legislation that will reduce pollutants and reconfigure our economy around clean energy. This might be the most important political battle in America today.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

DeGette, Dems pass CLEAN Energy Act of 2007

Like their colleagues in the Colorado legislature, national Democrats are making renewable energy an early priority. Today's press release from Congresswoman Diana DeGette states:

"Today Congress took the first real step towards giving our nation a 21st Century energy policy," said DeGette. "For too long, the only type of energy plan Republicans advanced involved drilling in the Arctic or giving more handouts to Big Oil. This bill starts to correct those shortsighted policies by repealing taxpayer funded giveaways to oil companies and redirecting that money towards clean renewable energy."

The bill, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6), takes important steps towards a smarter energy future by:

1. Repealing $14 billion in subsidies given to the largest oil companies and investing those funds in clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

2. Ensuring oil companies that were awarded the 1998 and 1999 leases for drilling pay their fair share in royalties.

3. Closing loopholes and ending giveaways for Big Oil in the tax code and in the 2005 Energy bill.

4. Creating a Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve to invest in clean, renewable energy resources and alternative fuels, promote new energy technologies, develop greater efficiency and improve energy conservation.

New Energy Economy hits the state legislature

This is why we block-walked, phone-banked and donated our hard-earned money. From The Rocky Mountain News:

Lawmakers highlighted more than a dozen alternative-power bills designed to build a new transmission system to channel solar and wind energy from rural areas to urban consumers, require utilities to generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, and plant wind-powered generators at schools to help cut electricity costs while teaching students the science of alternative energy.

UPDATE: And not a moment too soon.

More people get gainful employment in the Ritter administration

From a New Years Day press release from the Ritter transition team:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named one of Colorado's most respected law-enforcement leaders - Ari Zavaras - to serve as executive director of the Department of Corrections.

Ritter also named state Rep. Tom Plant as director of the Office of Energy Management and Conservation. Plant, who sponsored legislation that later became the state's landmark renewable energy measure, Amendment 37, will play a leading role in the creation of Gov.-elect Ritter's New Energy Economy.

Plant was also the House sponsor of a domestic partnership bill and was rumored to have been interested in Joan Fitz-Gerald's Senate seat.

Colorado Democrats detail New Energy Economy legislation

I like most of our Democratic officials. But there are a few that are jerks. So why the non-stop partisanship? Because when you elect Democrats, you get stuff like this:

Democratic lawmakers will introduce a slew of bills in the 2007 General Assembly to propel Colorado into becoming the "renewable energy capital of the world."

Legislation to double the state's renewable energy standard by 2015, mandate the use of ethanol in 10 percent of all transportation fuel - except jet fuel - by the end of next year, offer incentives to biofuel crop farmers and boost the number of transmission lines by allowing utilities to recover the money from ratepayers during construction are in the pipeline.

Renewable energy advocates say with the Democrats in control of the governor's office as well as the state Senate and House, the dozen or so bills - three times the number introduced last year - have a good chance of being signed into law.