'Green' activists see bright side of '09 session

By Elizabeth Stortroen
THE COLORADO STATESMAN

In a small Senate committee room, members of Colorado’s environmental community gathered around a round table on the last day of the legislative session to recap their successes and discuss the challenges that still lie ahead.

“In January, the environmental community rolled out an aggressive 2009 legislative agenda focusing on renewable energy and policies that create and strengthen our jobs in this economy,” said Robyn Fugett, chapter director of the Sierra Club. “Amid an economic recession, Governor Ritter and the state Legislature have kept a razor sharp focus on building a new energy economy as a strategy for (creating) green jobs and strengthening our economy.”

She noted that during the session, Colorado lawmakers passed, and Ritter signed, bills bolstering solar and other renewable energy, energy efficiency and transportation — legislation members of the group believe will lead Colorado into what Ritter calls a “New Energy Economy.”

“We are all here today to promote our environment and our economy in Colorado,” said Aaron Nelson, project director of the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado. “We all represent a larger group that is working to help us get our job done in Colorado and keep us moving forward as a leader in the country.”

This session, lawmakers successfully carried eight clean-energy bills, three transportation bills and four preservation and wildlife bills that advocates believe demonstrate the state’s dedication to environmental conservation.

Members of the group hailed the commitment by state leaders as an essential component of job growth. Already, they said, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects have created almost 88,000 jobs in Colorado.

Pam Kiely, legislative policy director for Environment Colorado, said although Colorado is clearly in a tough spot economically, its residents can take heart from the bright possibilities of clean renewable energy.

“We have been building on the leadership that the Ritter administration has shown, and both chambers of the Legislature have followed as well,” Kiely said. “We have worked hard this session to bring a green recovery to Colorado, and we are happy to report that we have made a tremendous amount of progress.”

Among the pieces of legislation touted by the environmental community as key are House Bill 1149, which requires homebuilders to offer prospective homebuyers the option of solar prewiring; Senate Bill 51, which concerns measures to facilitate the financing of energy efficient structures; Senate Bill 108, the controversial FASTER transportation bill; and House Bill 1292, which sets the rules for Colorado’s oil and gas industry.

Eriks Brolis, director of external affairs for Namaste Solar, said he’s particularly encouraged by the passage of HB 1149, noting that solar power has been a “ray of sunshine” for Colorado’s economy. He asserted that Ritter and the Legislature made the right decision in mandating that Colorado homes be wired for solar power, because jobs in that industry will allow the state economy to grow.

Elise Jones, executive director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition, said FASTER will create thousands of new jobs and allow Colorado to invest in a 21st century transportation system.

“Passing FASTER was a great accomplishment because it will give our communities a new set of tools for congestion relief,” Jones said. “But while we saw advances in some areas, we also fell short on some other issues in the Legislature.”

Jones was referencing House Bill 1284, co-sponsored by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, and Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, which lost on Second Reading in the Senate. The bill would have created a corridor capacity strategic plan in order to preserve capacity and efficient functioning of the state transportation system.

Jones said, if implemented, the bill also could have helped reduce ozone emissions.

The environmentalists also chalked up House Bill 1323 in their “loss” column. The bill, co-sponsored by Levy and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, would have ensured that Coloradans who get power from rural co-ops have access to the same cost-saving energy efficiencies customers of larger utilities receive.

That hurt, Kiely said, because increasing energy efficiency is the cheapest and easiest way to cut down global warming pollution and reduce carbon emissions.

“What is easier to do, and what costs less money, is to actually use less energy,” Kiely said. “We really have to make an effort to put energy efficiency at the top of our agenda … because it is cheaper and easier. But it has got to be done on a statewide level.”

Members of the group are encouraged however, that energy efficiency and weatherization programs will get a big boost in the state from federal stimulus dollars. The stimulus package is expected to add $130 million to Colorado’s economy through investments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Legislators also voted to protect Colorado’s air, water, wildlife and communities from the impact of oil and gas drilling.

“We are very happy with the new water, wildlife and public health legislation that passed in the state, because it will fully protect wildlife and it also ensures that the public has rights to clean drinking water,” said Suzanne O’Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation. “It has taken us a process of four years to get where we are now … but we are happy to see the investment our state is making for the future.”

O’Neill said the new protections will create a healthier oil and gas industry in Colorado while protecting the state’s natural resources and diversifying the economy.

The environmental community of Colorado is hoping to build on this year’s momentum to continue to expand job creation, energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the state.

“I think, ultimately, although we have highlighted a ton of successes here today, there is still so much to be done,” said Ben Prochazka, lobbyist for the Environment Colorado Coalition in an interview with The Colorado Statesman.

“We always have a set of new things on the horizon that are the ‘next big thing,’ and it helps to have such great leadership with those people who are continually committed to passing strong bills that will protect and keep what is great about Colorado intact.”

— Beth@coloradostatesman.com