DENVER – Colorado legislators are preparing for potential changes in environmental and energy policies under the Trump Administration with a series of hearings with experts.
The first of the hearings, which will be facilitated by the new Select Committee on Energy and Environment, was held Thursday and focused on gathering information regarding the energy industry’s impact on the state’s economy and environment, and the viability of moving toward renewable energy.
Baseline knowledge is crucial for the committee before it evaluates individual sectors of the state’s energy industry and zones in on specific topics for later hearings, said Sen. Ray Scott, R-Denver, chairman of the new committee.
Representatives from several conservation and renewable energy organizations on Thursday provided a picture of energy industry-related jobs, both directly and indirectly, and how much the clean tech energy market has grown in the past five years.
Brian Payer, co-chairman of the Resource Rich Colorado Committee and program manager of operations at Sphera, said the industry supports more than 270,000 jobs. While most are in fossil fuel-related sectors, clean energy is growing the fastest at more than 22 percent, as opposed to just under 6 percent in the fossil fuel industry.
Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, said the increasing market for renewable energy is indicative of the desires of Coloradans and should guide legislative decisions even if it is at odds with national policies.
“We want to go where Coloradans want to go, and it’s not probably where D.C. wants to go,” he said.
Jones said he hopes the committee will be able to show the benefits of renewable energy for Colorado, both economically and in terms of the health of state’s environment and residents.
“Energy is not versus the environment,” he said. “It’s energy and environment.”
The information gathered by the committee will be compiled into a report that can guide the Legislature, Scott said.
“This committee was created to help Colorado make those course corrections and deal with those consequences, good or bad, in light of changing circumstances that are going to happen in Washington D.C.,” Scott said.
Compiling the report requires a bipartisan mindset with political agendas left at the door so facts can be presented and evaluated, he said.
“This will not be a forum for argument but for education, and I will not allow grandstanding that strays from the facts,” Scott said.
The select committee will meet Feb. 7 to hear testimony from experts on nuclear energy and representatives from vehicle manufacturing companies.
lperkins@durangoherald.com
