Promoting Renewable Energy and Protecting the Environment

Increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are imperiling our planet.  Our addiction to fossil fuels darkens our skies, damages our water, destroys our wetlands and wildlife habitat, and disrupts our climate.  The consequences of inaction will be catastrophic, not only for our health and our environment but also for our economy and our national security.  We can save thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars by transforming the way in which we produce and consume energy.   

 A Record of Leadership 

In his first address to the House as its Democratic leader, Andrew Romanoff vowed to make Colorado a world leader in “the production and use of clean, efficient and renewable energy.”  In 2004, he endorsed an initiative to get 10 percent of Colorado’s electricity from alternative sources and then helped double that goal three years later.  

Andrew fought the Bush Administration’s attempts to weaken environmental standards.  He sponsored bills to conserve open space and farmland, promote water conservation, and enhance energy efficiency and recycling.  He also backed measures to: 

• protect the quality of Colorado’s air and water;
• keep water flowing in Colorado’s rivers and streams;
• defend water, land and mineral rights and other private-property interests;
• advance large-scale solar projects, biomass development and geothermal research;
• map renewable-resource areas and expedite the construction of transmission lines;
• bring wind power to schools;
• help low-income families weatherize their homes and pay their heating bills;
• give households, farmers, ranchers and businesses credit for the energy they produce on site.

In 2009, northeastern Colorado’s chamber of commerce, Progressive 15, made Andrew the first and only metro-area lawmaker ever inducted into its Legislator of the Plains Hall of Fame.  His leadership won recognition from groups ranging from Colorado Conservation Voters to the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.   

 A Plan of Action 

Andrew will work hard to preserve our natural resources and agricultural heritage, end our expensive reliance on foreign fossil fuel, and spur the creation of green-collar jobs.  Andrew will focus on: 

• Using federal revenue policy to reward work and reduce carbon emissions.
• Investing in the research and development of alternative energy sources and energy-efficient technology.
• Improving the power grid to transmit and distribute energy more efficiently and to facilitate the use of wind and other renewable energy sources.
• Setting a national goal of zero net energy use in all federal facilities and provide incentives to minimize energy use in the construction and operation of other buildings.
• Strengthening the protection of public health and the enforcement of air, land and water laws, including the monitoring and reporting of emissions and waste storage and disposal.