Renewable energy rules hurt rural areas
By Guest Columnist
Sunday, February 15, 2015
By Rep. Clarice Navarro
The Denver Post recently published an editorial titled, “Don’t Hobble Colorado Renewable Energy Rules.” The editorial and other advocates for existing renewable energy standards tout the benefits that Senate Bill 252 and Gov. Bill Ritter’s standards provide Colorado’s rural communities — jobs in the wind and solar industries, income for rural land owners and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
But they also take positions against this year’s Senate Bills 44 and 46, which would lower renewable energy standards. The renewable energy sector has indeed provided jobs and money to people in our rural communities. However, what often goes unmentioned is that the renewable energy sector is heavily subsidized.
In 2013, Forbes magazine published an article entitled, “Renewables Get 25 Times the Subsidy that Fossil Fuels Do,” which provided a comparison of renewable subsidies versus oil subsidies. According to this article, “These subsidies have nothing to do with cozying up to oil companies or indulging global-warming skeptics. The spending is a way for governments to buy political stability.” The article also goes on to describe how subsidizing the renewable energy sector is plainly spending tax dollars on renewable energies that benefit producers, not consumers.
The argument that rural communities benefit from rural energy mandates is very concerning. In fact, the evidence that it is not benefiting rural communities can be seen in Pueblo.
Many Pueblo residents have had trouble being able to afford paying energy bills, thus causing shutoffs. There are many arguments as to why this is happening, but one cannot look past the fact that the energy company must comply with renewable energy mandates and infrastructure must be created for them to do so. With the creation of infrastructure, energy companies must look at how to recoup this money and the cost is pushed on to the consumers.
Lastly, advocates point to the creation of jobs in the renewable energy sector, but they ignore the fact that the oil and gas sector is one of Colorado’s leading job creators.
In the last election, Colorado almost saw ballot initiatives against oil and gas development, promoted by a Democratic U.S. congressman and many state legislators. It seems that politicians are determining who the winners and losers are for energy development. Over regulating oil and gas companies, while at the same time providing mandates to use renewable energies, is not right for Colorado.
No person would say renewable energies are not great, and the benefits that renewable energy could provide are wonderful.
With that being said, is it right that we push the cost of renewable energy creation on to the taxpayers and citizens of Colorado? Or that we create burdensome regulations on the oil and gas industries, which will inevitably cause job loss? It is time that we take a hard look at the effects that renewable energies create rather than ignore them.
The citizens of Colorado deserve jobs, effective spending of their tax dollars, and the ability to pay their energy bills.
State Rep. Clarice Navarro, R-Pueblo, represents Colorado’s 47th District.
By Guest Columnist
Sunday, February 15, 2015
By Rep. Clarice Navarro
The Denver Post recently published an editorial titled, “Don’t Hobble Colorado Renewable Energy Rules.” The editorial and other advocates for existing renewable energy standards tout the benefits that Senate Bill 252 and Gov. Bill Ritter’s standards provide Colorado’s rural communities — jobs in the wind and solar industries, income for rural land owners and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
But they also take positions against this year’s Senate Bills 44 and 46, which would lower renewable energy standards. The renewable energy sector has indeed provided jobs and money to people in our rural communities. However, what often goes unmentioned is that the renewable energy sector is heavily subsidized.
In 2013, Forbes magazine published an article entitled, “Renewables Get 25 Times the Subsidy that Fossil Fuels Do,” which provided a comparison of renewable subsidies versus oil subsidies. According to this article, “These subsidies have nothing to do with cozying up to oil companies or indulging global-warming skeptics. The spending is a way for governments to buy political stability.” The article also goes on to describe how subsidizing the renewable energy sector is plainly spending tax dollars on renewable energies that benefit producers, not consumers.
The argument that rural communities benefit from rural energy mandates is very concerning. In fact, the evidence that it is not benefiting rural communities can be seen in Pueblo.
Many Pueblo residents have had trouble being able to afford paying energy bills, thus causing shutoffs. There are many arguments as to why this is happening, but one cannot look past the fact that the energy company must comply with renewable energy mandates and infrastructure must be created for them to do so. With the creation of infrastructure, energy companies must look at how to recoup this money and the cost is pushed on to the consumers.
Lastly, advocates point to the creation of jobs in the renewable energy sector, but they ignore the fact that the oil and gas sector is one of Colorado’s leading job creators.
In the last election, Colorado almost saw ballot initiatives against oil and gas development, promoted by a Democratic U.S. congressman and many state legislators. It seems that politicians are determining who the winners and losers are for energy development. Over regulating oil and gas companies, while at the same time providing mandates to use renewable energies, is not right for Colorado.
No person would say renewable energies are not great, and the benefits that renewable energy could provide are wonderful.
With that being said, is it right that we push the cost of renewable energy creation on to the taxpayers and citizens of Colorado? Or that we create burdensome regulations on the oil and gas industries, which will inevitably cause job loss? It is time that we take a hard look at the effects that renewable energies create rather than ignore them.
The citizens of Colorado deserve jobs, effective spending of their tax dollars, and the ability to pay their energy bills.
State Rep. Clarice Navarro, R-Pueblo, represents Colorado’s 47th District.
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