Like every state, Colorado families are struggling through these difficult economic times. Governor-elect John Hickenlooper was elected in large part on his pledge to right the ship and get our economy going again. He’ll need to address issues that drove the jobs away in the first place, particularly in the energy industry.
Fossil fuels remain the immediate answer to heating our homes, powering our cars and manufacturing the goods we need. About 85 percent of all the energy we utilize comes from fossil fuels: natural gas, oil and coal. The remaining 15 percent is split nearly evenly between nuclear and renewable sources.
Colorado is blessed with vast energy resource reserves that can play a crucial role in moving America into the next generation of energy production while providing good-paying jobs. However, for us to lead, we must overcome the whims of politicians, work together, and embrace new technology that will bring in new sources of revenue and, more importantly, high-paying and sustainable jobs.
In an ironic twist, each time Colorado has led the way in energy development, current and former politicians from the Rocky Mountain state have sought to block it. Take former Sen. Ken Salazar, who, as secretary of the Interior, plays a huge role in our energy future. Despite calls from Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and even those in his own administration who urged him to keep the Gulf open for business after the BP spill, he enforced a devastating offshore drilling moratorium.
Based on his clear enmity with the energy industry, it’s not hard to guess how our former senator would come down on energy development in his home state.
Closer to home, Congresswoman Dianna DeGette has also used her spot within Democratic Party leadership to impede Colorado’s energy future. In addition to rallying votes for a national energy tax via “cap and trade” legislation, DeGette has made it her mission to impede the process of harvesting the energy resources that lie just beneath our feet, a process known as “hydraulic fracturing.” Simply put, it involves drilling into rock formations to harvest natural gas and oil that lies within them.
According to industry think tank Energy in Depth, the hydrofracking process has been studied by the EPA, Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and all found the process to be safe.
Unfortunately, DeGette doesn’t agree, and even introduced legislation that would have imposed a bevy of new, job-killing federal regulations on energy companies — regulations that the EPA wasn’t even prepared to enforce at the time. Had she been successful, companies that conduct hydraulic fracturing would have faced the same moratorium as the Gulf Coast. Thankfully, at least for now, the legislation has gone nowhere, and DeGette has said she is trying to work on a compromise with the industry.
During the campaign, Hickenlooper repeatedly referenced his experience as an exploration geologist, and implied that his administration would work “in a collaborative way” with the energy industry and others to resolve the current conflicts over energy development in Colorado. I hope he will hold true to this pledge.
By overcoming the “government-knows-best” mentality of politicians and Washington bureaucrats, we can ensure affordable energy, provide sustainable, well-paying jobs and avoid excessive regulation, without harming our state. Colorado has the resources; now we need to utilize the ingenuity and motivation to lead our country into the next generation of energy production.
Former congressman Bob Beauprez is editor of . He operates a buffalo breeding ranch in the Colorado mountains.
