DENVER—Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and media mogul Ted Turner say making the environment an issue at the voting booth can help efforts to combat climate change.
Ritter says tackling climate change state by state and across party lines while engaging the private sector will also be important.
The two spoke Tuesday at the Colorado Conservation Voters annual fall luncheon. The group issued a report card Tuesday giving Ritter above-passing grades on key environmental issues. In particular, it credited him with building a “new energy economy” for Colorado that focuses on creating jobs through renewable energy industries.
Coal industry workers, though, are among those who say Ritter’s efforts have targeted their jobs.
Ritter signed legislation this year requiring Xcel Energy to submit a plan to reduce nitrogen oxide levels. The plan proposes shutting down some coal-fired plants and switching them to run on natural gas.
This week Ritter heads to Denmark and Finland to promote Colorado clean-tech companies. He and other state officials plan to meet with companies interested in expanding into the United States. The Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas already has plants and an engineering center in Colorado.
During the luncheon, moderator Reggie Rivers asked Turner why he devotes so much time to conservation causes.
“It’s really a survival issue for the human race and life on the planet,” Turner said.
Turner also was using some of his time in Colorado to promote his restaurants that specialize in bison meat.
