John Hickenlooper, Denver’s current mayor and candidate for Colorado’s 2010 Governor race, is continuing his bid to show Coloradans who can worship the most at the feet of the business community: himself or Con candidate Scott McInnis. Coloradans are looking for a choice, Mayor. If you try to paint yourself as Republican-lite, Coloradans will choose the true Republican.
What has raised my ire today? Another Denver Post article detailing the mayor’s words at a Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday. According to the mayor, Colorado is now known as an anti-business state, Ritter sided with “overboard” environmentalists and raising taxes in a recession is “crazy”.
At this point, Hick is going to have to work very, very hard to secure my vote this November. I don’t want a person with a “D” after their name in the Governor’s mansion governing like he wants to be a Con. Continue Reading →
Gov. Bill Ritter today hailed the grand opening of the Coyote Gulch algae-to-biofuels pilot facility in southwest Colorado, a first-of-its-kind project by Solix Biofuels Inc. and Southern Ute Alternative Energy.
“Congratulations to Solix and the Southern Utes for this innovative addition to Colorado’s New Energy Economy,” Gov. Ritter said. “This project is an important step forward as Colorado continues to lead America and the world toward a new energy future. As a spinoff from Colorado State University, Solix is clearly demonstrating the potential of the New Energy Economy ecosystem, from spurring groundbreaking research to creating jobs to increasing our energy independence.”
The Coyote Gulch Demonstration Facility is expected to produce the equivalent of 3,000 gallons per acre per year of algal oil by late 2009. The facility is located on two acres of Southern Ute tribal land. The company, which also operates in Fort Collins, has 50 employees, and about 10 of them will work full time at the Coyote Gulch plant.
“This facility illustrates why Colorado is leading the nation in the manufacturing, production and research of energy efficiency and renewable energy,” Gov. Ritter said. “It’s another example of how all of Colorado benefits when we work together – industry, government, universities and residents”
Founded in 2006, Solix develops low-cost scalable photo-bioreactors where algae grows inside plastic bags in place of open-pond conditions. The goal is to create a commercially viable biofuel that will help solve climate change and petroleum scarcity without competing with global food supply.
I heard about single-payer advocates being arrested at a Senate Finance Committee meeting on the Ed Schultz show today. What happened? The Senate Finance Committee was holding a “roundtable discussion” on healthcare access and coverage. What interest group didn’t get a formal invitation? Single-payer advocates. Not one person who could argue in favor of a healthcare system that a majority of Americans want was invited. Tragically, yet unsurprisingly, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries hold sway over Sen. Max Baucus (bought-MT) and his fellow committee members.
A group of single-payer advocates came to the meeting and had the temerity to ask why it wasn’t being discussed. It was shocking to hear that they were arrested. It was even more shocking to hear that Sen. Baucus and some of his preferred guests were joking about the situation as the arrestees were being taken away. It is disturbing, to say the least, to see how the powerful and elite (with excellent health care plans!) so easily treat the rest of us in so callous a manner.
I’m going to make my opinion on this subject as crystal clear as possible: I don’t think the populist energy that propelled Barack Obama and Democrats at all levels of government across the U.S. in 2008 was about Cons vs. Dems. It was about carrying out the will of the American people, regardless of who is “in charge”. That populist energy can be directed just as easily at Democrats as it was at Republicans. I prefer Democrats to Republicans in most instances. But I will refuse to support anybody who stands in the way of protecting the American middle- and lower-class, regardless of the letter after their name.
Sen. Max Baucus is now firmly on that list. Democrats in the Colorado legislature who refused to suport single-payer health care are on that list. I’m close to putting Gov. Ritter on that list. Politicians have stood in the way of single-payer despite campaigning on reforming healthcare in Colorado in 2006 and 2008. Politicians have killed single-payer bills despite launching a Commission to “listen” to Coloradans’ opinions on what they wanted out of a reformed system – and receiving overwhelming response for single-payer plans. Their response (actions) is in direct contradiction to the opinions and solutions offered by the citizenry and in direct contradiction to what they told us during campaigns (words). The limited actions taken so far in Colorado do not go far enough. The system is not being reformed – it is being tinkered with at the edges.
I am fed up with “listening tours” regarding health care. Elected officials at all levels know what the people want. The tours act as props to show citizens that they “care” about the issue. Enough is enough: no more “listening tours” – only action will be acceptable at this point. If elected officials can’t publicly, proudly support the creation of a single-payer system, whether it’s in Colorado or in the entire U.S., I can not and will not support them any longer. I will not listen to the excuse-of-the-day that politician after politician come up with and try to offer to us as the “reason” single-payer cannot be enacted, as though the politicians were actually serious about representing our interests. It is clear too many of the current crop are not.
Pro-industry syncophants are about the only ones who continue to support our broken healthcare system.
It is immorally disgraceful that millions of Americans are unable to receive the care they deserve because of the greed locked into the healthcare management apparatus.
It is immorally disgraceful that for-profit corporations get to decide who gets covered for what procedure, despite health care costs that have risen faster than inflation for over a decade, despite the number of people who have died from lack of proper care.
It is obscene that the system wants to push expensive, unneeded technologies and treatments at consumers. It only maintains their increasing profit margins.
It is an embarrassment that this great nation refuses to officially treat healthcare as a right, and not a privilege.
It is sickening to hear that Sen. Baucus won’t allow a single-payer proponent at a roundtable discussion in one sentence, then hear about the pittance that he has received from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries in campaign contributions. Money may go further in Montana than other places in this country, but a few tens of thousands of dollars is a joke of a haul to take while preventing the healthcare reform that Montanans and Americans have clearly indicated they want.
2000 through and 2006 was about more Democrats for me. After the 2006 elections, it became clear than quality is more important than quantity. Leading up to the 2008 election, I started to focus more on better Democrats. 2010 and beyond will be all about better Democrats. They’ve been given control of running this state and this country. They campaigned on issues. They promised supporters they would deliver on any number of things. It’s time to deliver or find a new job. Populist energy isn’t blinded by party loyalty. Democrats would do well to remember that.
I got behind the news late last week and into the weekend, so this the first of two roundups of items I saw.
State Representative Sara Gagliardi (D-JeffCo) introduced a bill (HB09-1331) that promotes low-emitting cars and trucks. It makes changes to the existing tax credit for purchases of vehicles using alternative fuels, for purchase of idling reduction technologies or for conversion of vehicles to use alternative fuels. I heard a segment on the Ed Schultz show earlier this afternoon about an idling technology that I’ll have to look into. It sounded like it would reduce the amount of fuel burned from 1 gallon per hour during idling to 1 gallon per 20 hours, but I could have heard the improved ratio incorrectly.
The money comes from the city’s half-cent sales tax, collected especially for economic development projects that bring new revenue into the Pueblo area.
A 1/2 cent sales tax, in just this one instance, will create 140 high paying jobs in Pueblo. That tax and those jobs are an investment in the community of Pueblo. Cons would rather see that tax go away, and with it, this expansion and those jobs.
Ascent Solar announced it is moving its headquarters and manufacturing from Littleton to Thornton last Tuesday. While the move will occur within Colorado, it will allow for expansion of thin-film solar photovoltaic panel manufacturing. That expansion will generate up to 300 more good paying jobs. Ascent will initially be able to produce panels that can generate 25 megawatts of energy per year. By 2011, they expect to be able to manufacture 100 megawatts of solar energy producing panels per year.
An ongoing story in Colorado’s New Energy Economy, under Gov. Ritter’s leadership and vision, is that of Vestas Wind Systems. Due to active outreach, Vestas decided to build a wind blade manufacturing plant near Winsor, CO. The location is near railroad infrastructure, allowing delivery of wind blades to other areas around the country where wind farms are being constructed. Due to further outreach by Gov. Ritter, Vestas decided to expand operations. Along the way, Hexcel Corp. decided to build a new plant near the Vestas facilities.
Danish Crown Prince Frederik said Wednesday that expanding a country’s renewable energy sources and recovering from a recession don’t have to be mutually exclusive. “Denmark is economically competitive not in spite of these efforts, but because of them,” he said at a Brighton plant groundbreaking for Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems.
Did you read that, Colorado Cons? Denmark is economically competitive because they’ve invested in renewable energy sources. It really shouldn’t be that shocking, but these kinds of events and statements need increased publicity to deliver their positive message.
The Post article has some important numbers:
The prince, his wife, Crown Princess Mary, and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter attended the ceremony for two parts plants by Vestas, which already has a blade-making plant in Windsor, about 50 miles north of Denver. More than 200 people work there and 650 are expected at full employment.
The company also is planning a 400-employee factory in Pueblo to build towers that support the turbines, which it has said would be the world’s largest such factory.
The two plants will employ about 1,350 people at full operation, expected next year. Ole Borup Jakobsen, president of Vestas Blades, said the plants’ annual production eventually will reach 2,000 blades and 1,400 nacelles, which are housings for the turbine’s generator, transformer and gearbox.
State officials said Vestas is spending about $290 million to build the two plants. The company will also locate an employee training and development division and a technology and production engineering office in Brighton.
I’ll add all this up: 650 + 400 + 1350 = 2,400 good paying Colorado jobs. Those Colorado jobs will help generate renewable energy, which will reduce greenhouse gas pollution, which does cost us money – it just hasn’t been properly accounted for in the past. $290 million spent in a state that is in a recession. That’s not chump change. That’s real money that will help provide a needed boost. This article doesn’t go into how many more jobs will be created at the training or engineering offices. It also doesn’t (because it can’t) provide information on other renewable energy companies moving operations to Colorado, employing more people and benefiting the state, just like Hexcel has done. How many other companies will follow suit? I look forward to finding out.
I will point out that the Cons are nowhere to be seen nor heard. Gov. Ritter and many others are hard at work creating real jobs in Colorado at a time when we need them most. These jobs will lay the foundation for the green-powered energy revolution that will come about. Beholden to their failed ideology, the Cons are failing to be “bipartisan” or “moderate” in this case (among others). I’ll remember that as the 2010 Governor race heats up. We’re sure to hear the Cons complain about how partisan and extreme Democrats have been. The corporate media will of course fail to point out the projection and hypocrisy of those comments, but I won’t. Where is uber-Con Dick Wadhams? Where is the “moderate” Scott McInnis? Why are the Cons missing in this story and why isn’t the corporate media pointing it out?
Reading about a national energy efficiency standard made me remember the full-page, color package of lies advertisement I wrote about just over a week ago. A group spun efforts by Congress to consider reducing greenhouse pollution as a direct tax on the American people. The pollution must be reduced – the sooner the better. No matter the manner in which Congress works to introduce the first nationwide effort to reduct that pollution, for-profit energy corporations will do their best to pass on any new costs directly to consumers. I suppose there is nothing intrinsically wrong with those costs being passed along – it’s the nature of corporations to do so, after all. What I object to is the morality of doing so when easily implementable solutions are available to those corporations. That’s where citizen activism comes in – if the corporations refuse to think outside their little box, other people can and will.
It would be relatively straightforward to alleviate cost increases to both energy providers and energy users. How? Implementation of Energy Efficiency Standards. Renewable Energy Standards have been implemented in a number of states (Colorado was the first) and will be done nationally as well. That’s only part of the energy equation. Energy efficiency, as I’ve written before, provides a low-cost method of significantly reducing our energy requirements. People can and have already done so in individual cases. It’s time to direct energy providers to do the same on a much larger scale. Imposing costs on greenhouse gas polluters merely introduces a situation in which it makes even more sense to implement Energy Efficiency Standards on a national-scale.
Currently, new conventional base-load production sources generate electricity at a rate between $0.073 and $0.135 per kilowatt-hour. At a cost of $0.03 per kilowatt-hour saved, efficiency improvements are significantly less expensive than building new plants and power lines and burning more fuel.
More power is going to be requested by users in the future. Efficiency technologies today can offset 85% of projected 2030 demand. 85% of projected demand could cost half or one-fourth as much as what energy corporations are going to want to charge Americans. The potential savings are estimated at nearly $170 billion per year by 2020 if an EES is put in place. Why wouldn’t we implement such a strategy?
The Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America supports a federal EERS, a target that would require utilities to reduce electricity demand by 15 percent and natural gas demand by 10 percent by 2020. This EERS is included in both House and Senate versions (H.R. 889 and S. 548) of the Save American Energy Act, introduced by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY).
I would really like to see this effort make its way through the Congress with a minimum of fuss or change. The globe could use some relief from our greenhouse forcing. Energy efficiency is a highly reachable method of doing that in the short term. It would mean energy corporations would receive less money in the future than they would if their lies to Americans were to beat this effort back. I don’t plan on letting that happen. I want to save money in the future and save the climate now.
Gov. Ritter signed 5 bills yesterday. From a press release:
Sen. Dan Gibbs and Rep. Christine Scanlan sponsored SB 1, which supports communities in preventing and preparing for wildfires.
“As a wildland firefighter I know how important community prevention plans are in terms of public safety for the citizens of Colorado,” Sen. Gibbs said. “I’m pleased that Gov. Ritter signed this bill today and that it soon will be in place to help communities when wildfires strike. It will help communities prioritize, prevent, and prepare for wildfires in their area. With 2 million acres of dead lodge-pole pine and about 1 million Coloradans living in the wildland urban interface, SB 1 will bring the tools, resources and assistance to help people prepare for the worst.”
“Having a preparedness plan ready to go before firefighters hit the ground to battle a wildfire will help tremendously in emergency situations,” Rep. Scanlan said. “Colorado has more than 22 million acres of forested land, and with the threat of fire due to the dead lodge-pole pine, we need to take these steps now to protect our natural habitat and Coloradans who are living within the wildland urban interface.”
This is a good bill. But it won’t bring all the tools, resources and assistance to help people prepare for the worst. Some, yes. Most – I don’t know. But certainly not all. There are over 2 million acres of dead pines just waiting for a bad summer of lightning. Their only good news this year? The drought afflicting the Front Range hasn’t been felt in the mountains – precipitation this winter has been over average. A dry spring, summer or fall could change things quickly. The bottom line is there is simply no feasible way to handle that many acres of dead trees. Public education and expanded preventative roles will help though.
Scientists most closely associated with recommending climate policies to government officials are refocusing their recommendations. Armed with new data that show the current state of the climate is worse than that predicted by any model used in the 2007 IPCC Report, scientists are trying to let government officials know that stated goals to decrease emission levels won’t go far enough in the alloted timeframe.
For instance, CO Gov. Ritter’s Climate Action Plan calls for a 20% reduction in 2005 GHG emissions by 2020. President Obama has called for 2020 emissions to be reduced to 1990 levels. If officials are serious about not introducing the worst climate change effects currently estimated (sea level rise, temperature, precipitation patterns, drought, etc.), their emission reduction goals must become much more bold. By 2050, reductions from 1990 levels must be at least 80%.
Climate models used in the 2007 IPCC Report forecasted a range of temperature increases of 1-6 degrees Celsius. Severe or abrupt climate changes weren’t expected until the upper limit of that range was reached. The beginnings of those climate changes have already been seen, with temperature increases of only 0.7 degrees Celsius. To wait until 6 or even 2 degrees of warming then seems like a very bad idea. A whole set of tipping points might be reached well before the worst warming was seen. Plenty of warming resides today “in the pipeline”. Greenhouse gas concentrations today are enough to continue to warm the globe for at least another 100 years. In light of the continuing data showing climate change effects, emissions standards must be more aggressively set and pursued.
Gov. Bill Ritter named former state legislator Alice Madden as Colorado’s Climate Change Coordinator. I think this is a smart thing to do because of the complexity of plans to address climate change at the state level here in Colorado. What exactly will Madden do? The job description didn’t show up in the Daily Camera article, but I think there is enough information there to get an idea. In a very general sense, she will work to achieve the goals in Colorado’s Climate Action Plan (more on that below). Madden’s comments on the appointment fill out some details for us:
Madden, who was term limited last year, said in the release that climate change is, “taking its toll in every corner of Colorado.”
“Farmers, ranchers and the ski industry are concerned about winter snowpack,” she said in the release. “Citizens are worried about rising energy costs. Commuters are concerned about efficient and affordable transportation choices, and we all are worried about the future of our forests, air and water.”
As I’ve written about, climate change is a very big, very complex problem. It touches every other policy area I can think of, so efforts to address it introduce the need to address how those efforts impact other policy topics. So it’s not very surprising that the job description at the time of announcement is a little fuzzy. I’m sure they’re going to further define her role as they move forward. Much like President Obama, I don’t necessarily envy Madden – both for the reason listed above (complexity) but also because the problem will be seen to grow in scope in the public’s eye as additional scientific evidence of climate change comes forward. Additional, unforseen consequences of climate change will come to the fore as well. Madden and others are going to need to be nimble yet aggressive as they craft climate change policies. I’m not sure how you write that into a description for any job. But I’m glad Madden is doing it.
[side rant]:While Coloradans would like to think they have a say about who the Senate replacement would be, in some ways the Democratic Party is just as top-down as the Republican Party. Unfortunately, the actual people have very little say in who will be our next Senator. Looking around the country, I’m starting to think executive appointment of Senators is a bad idea. Replacement House members have to have special elections. Senators, seeing as how they are in for six solid years, should have to go through the same process. The current process is un-(d)emocratic.
But I wanted to focus on Gov. Ritter’s job performance numbers, since those will have an effect on how the 2010 Governor race pans out. Overall, Ritter gets a 49-36-15 approval rating. Is he really below the 50% “worry threshold”? Let’s get closer to the election before thinking too hard about that. Here are the cross-tab data:
