Author: Kathy Fackler
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Thankful for Reps. Hurd and Evans for standing up for clean energy tax credits
If Congress takes the energy credits away, not only will it waste capital expenditure funds already invested in the specific projects, but the project failures will trigger a chain reaction — not just in Colorado, but across the United States.
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Support for HB25-1040
HB25-1040 would include nuclear energy as another zero-carbon resource for utilities and energy planners to consider, subject to community support, economics, and safety review processes. The bill passed with strong bipartisan votes and was signed into law by Gov. Polis on March 31, 2025.
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IRA invests in energy, water and rural America
The Inflation Reduction Act makes a generational investment in low-carbon energy and helps Americans adapt to a warming climate. Its energy tax credits are popular in many Republican districts, sparking local investment, building domestic supply chains, and accelerating innovation in technologies like geothermal, advanced nuclear, battery storage and carbon capture.
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An Abundance of Energy Dominance
We are in a miraculous moment where energy can be many, many things, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, its own champions and critics. To me, that sounds like freedom, market choice, competitiveness. Building a big toolkit of energy solutions allows us to find the right tool for the right job. To me, that…
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Courage required for energy permitting reform
Co-authored with Delta County Commissioner Wendell A. Koontz – It takes courage, but real people are still working together to solve real problems — even in the U.S. Congress, where lawmakers are forging a common-sense solution to address our energy needs and mitigate climate change. It’s happening through a wonky process called energy permitting reform.
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Can we talk about energy?
What does energy mean to you? That can be a controversial question these days. For most of my life, energy meant the wall switch I flipped to light the room, and the gasoline I pumped into my car. I didn’t think about how those electrons got into my light bulb or how gasoline got into…
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People are good, democracy can work
Thanks to Colorado’s congressional delegation for voting to pass HR 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act. Clean energy permitting reform matters to all Americans. We need efficient, effective, modern rules that support a variety of zero and low carbon solutions, focused on ensuring high safety standards, community involvement and efficient deployment.
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Colorado’s transition to renewables
A published letter in the Denver Post – stating that Colorado’s clean energy transition was moving much too slowly – triggered this response from me.
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Nuclear power is part of the energy solution
Colorado’s Senate Committee on Transportation and Energy held a 4-hour hearing on this topic last Wednesday. The bill, SB24-039, would have included nuclear as a “clean energy resource,” defined as technology that generates electricity without emitting carbon. Nuclear power clearly meets that definition. The bill failed.
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Permits, lawsuits and the strangulation of American energy
Co-authored with Delta County Commissioner Wendell A. Koontz – If we want reliable energy, we need to build a mix of sources, transmission, and distribution that balances intermittent renewables with firm generation, and connects supply to demand. Our permitting process for large energy projects is strangling that progress.
Powering Forward 