Written Testimony to the Colorado state Senate Transportation and Energy Committee on HB23-1247: Assess Advanced Energy Solutions in Rural Colorado
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony to this committee.
I am a retired software engineer from Durango Colorado, a 6-year volunteer with a nonprofit, nonpartisan climate advocacy organization, and a 4-year member of Club 20. I do not speak on behalf of either organization, but my work with both groups informs my opinions on this issue. My comments here represent my own personal views.
HB23-1247 would require the state energy office to study the use of advanced energy solutions in rural Colorado as we accelerate our transition to clean energy. I strongly support that action.
Leveraging Federal Clean Energy Incentives – As a citizen lobbyist, I spent the last two years advocating for national legislation that incentivizes all the energy technologies listed in HB23-1247: geothermal, clean hydrogen, advanced nuclear, carbon capture, wind, solar, and long duration energy storage. Those bills passed with overwhelming Democratic support, and some support by Republican members of Congress.
My organization is lobbying this year on policies to maximize the climate benefits from those important investments by streamlining clean energy deployment and build-out of transmission infrastructure. We need state and local policies to meet those goals, and most of the projects will be built in rural America.
Grid Reliability – The studies outlined in HB23-1247 would consider whether firm resources are needed to optimize or stabilize a grid dominated by intermittent renewables. Like many Coloradans, I worry that a “100% renewable by 2040” electric grid may not be reliable or resilient enough for utility customers. The climate is changing at the same time our energy systems are changing, so it’s best to plan for periods of extended cloud cover and low wind.
Just Transition – One study would look at ways to salvage the coal-dependent communities that have been, or soon will be, economically decimated by the policies enacted in 2019. They would look at ways to replace the tax base long provided by fossil energy, and investigate ways that Colorado’s coal country could continue to produce the energy we all need using cleaner sources. Some of the federal incentives passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act are specifically targeted toward energy transition communities like Craig, Hayden, and Nucla. Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper fought for those provisions. Colorado should make use of them if possible.
Facing Change Together – Last month I attended Club 20’s Legislative Day. Elected members of this body from both parties were generous with their time and attention. Many, including House Speaker McCluskie, talked about the importance of bridging the partisan divide and the rural divide. Here’s an opportunity to do that, on a rural Colorado bill that already has bipartisan sponsors in both chambers.
HB23-1247 is a logical, necessary energy transition planning step for Colorado. This bill is about opportunity – for Colorado’s energy future and for the economic future of our rural areas. It’s about our responsibility to the Coloradans who have produced our electricity for half a century or more.
Thank you for serving Colorado, and for considering my comments. I urge a YES vote on HB23-1247.
NOTE: HB23-1247 passed with strong bipartisan votes in both chambers and was signed into law by Gov. Polis on May 20, 2023.
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