GLENWOOD SPRINGS — U.S. Rep. John Salazar is taking some heat from environmentalists and some Democrats for voting against climate change legislation.
The bill passed by the House last month calls for the nation’s first limits on pollution linked to global warming and aims to usher in a new era of cleaner, yet more costly energy.
Salazar was the only Colorado Democrat to vote against it. The state’s two Republican congressmen — Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn — also voted against it.
Salazar believes climate change must be addressed but has said he’s concerned about how much it could cost people who rely on rural electrical associations. In a written statement, he said delaying the time for REAs to comply with the act and investing in clean coal technology and nuclear power would have eased that burden.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the bill would cost an average household $175 a year. The Environmental Protection Agency forecasts the cost will be $80 to $110 a year.
However, Salazar spokesman Eric Wortman said people who depend on REAs for their power are expected to pay more than the national average. He said the office saw estimates of the impact for residents of the 3rd Congressional District ranging from $330 to $2,000 a year.
But Ed Sands, a Rifle attorney and chairman of the Garfield County Democratic Party, said the bill won’t be fully effective for 10 years and a lot can change in the economy before then.
“I simply don’t buy his reasons,” Sands said.
Wilderness Workshop executive director Sloan Shoemaker said Salazar’s vote was “mysterious” because the district relies so much on natural resources. He said oil and gas reserves will eventually be depleted and said that the Colorado’s rivers, snowfall and wildlife habitat are threatened by global warming.
“To ignore that and fail to take action on global warming is pretty mysterious,” Shoemaker said.
The Aspen Skiing Co. lobbied for the bill and spokesman Matt Hamilton said the company was disappointed Salazar didn’t back it.
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Information from: Post Independent,
