May 12, 2010 07:08 PM UTC

The Best in The West

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• by: ColoradoConservationVoters

The 2010 Colorado Legislature’s General Session is wrapping up today.  The exciting news is that thanks to our pro-conservation majority in both chambers, we can declare that Colorado is the Best In The West when it comes to forward thinking environmental policy.  This historic session saw landmark legislation on clean energy, water efficiency, land use and uranium processing pass with bi-partisan support.  I would like to thank the pro-conservation majority that made these victories possible and the sponsors of several key bills in particular.

The first bill of the session, HB 1001, elevates Colorado to a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) of 30% by 2020.  We are on a fast track to get to 30%, including more rooftop solar and local wind projects.  Representative Max Tyler and Senators Gail Schwartz and Bruce Whitehead introduced this bill.

We worked with Xcel Energy, a supporter of the new RES, the Governor’s office, legislative leaders, and some in the natural gas industry to go one step further and craft HB 1365, the Colorado Clean Air/Clean Jobs act.  This first in the nation bill will take 900 Megawatts of coal offline and retrofit those plants with cleaner burning sources of fuel, including natural gas and renewables.  HB 1365 was sponsored by Representatives Ellen Roberts and Judy Solano and Senators Josh Penry and Bruce Whitehead.

Safeguarding Colorado’s scarce water supplies was a top priority this year.  HB 1051, sponsored by Representative Jack Pommer and Senator Bruce Whitehead, creates a statewide system for utilities to report on water efficiency efforts.  This will allow the state to set benchmarks for water savings and spread best practices for efficiency among the network of water providers.  Representative Randy Baumgartner and Senator Bruce Whitehead introduced SB 025, extending critical water efficiency program funding until 2020.  HB 1204, introduced by Representative John Soper and Senator Lois Tochtrop, requires the plumbing codes to be updated to include standards for water efficiency.  The people of Colorado get some help in their own attempts to save water with HB 1358, introduced by Representative Randy Fischer and Senator Michael Johnston.  The Water-Smart Homes bill requires homebuilders to give buyers options for water efficient appliances, just like they would offer options for granite countertops or hardwood flooring.

HB 1348 protects Colorado communities from the harmful side effects of uranium processing. Sponsored by Representative Buffie McFadyen and Senators Bob Bacon and Ken Kester, this common sense piece of legislation requires uranium processors to clean up any existing processing sites they have in Colorado before they will be allowed to open new facilities.  With taxpayers already saddled with millions of dollars in clean up – and a few superfund sites – from the last uranium rush, this legislation is the best way to protect our state from a repeat of past mistakes.

The final capstone piece of legislation that helped define Colorado as a leader on environmental issues was HB 1107.  Colorado’s population growth over the past decades is a sign of the times, and a signal of the future.  This bill helps protect what makes our state such a wonderful place by ending taxpayer-funded incentives to pave farmland into strip malls.  Colorado and the West were built on ranching and agriculture, and we are taking steps to protect this heritage for the future.  HB 1107 was sponsored by Representative Randy Fischer and Senator Morgan Carroll.

These are just the highlights of the session.  In total, more than 30 pro-conservation bills passed in the last four months.  Let’s all take a minute to celebrate our victories because we will need to shortly turn our attention to the November elections and making sure we re-elect our pro-conservation majorities and elect a pro-conservation governor.