Working Toward a Clean Energy Economy

Check out this guest commentary at the Denver Post from an outgoing member of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Although this PUC member is leaving, it's refreshing to see his passion for Colorado's clean energy economy. It's necessary that we start transitioning away as quickly as we can from fossil fuels and move towards clean and renewable sources of energy. The reason? Simply put, burning fossil fuels to provide transportation to move ourselves and our products as well as providing heating and cooling for our homes is unsustainable. With the rate of consumption and the amount of those consuming (6.9 billion so far) increasing exponentially, we will not have enough fossil fuels for future generations to use for their energy needs. But lack of sustainability is only half the problem. Don't forget about the pollutants that occur to our air, water, and land from the use of fossil fuels. Anybody remember watching the footage of the Olympics in Beijing? The haze that was clearly visible (and clearly felt in the lungs by the visiting athletes) was from coal-burning power plants and manufacturing plants. Of course, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has thankfully prevented us from becoming a Beijing (although before the EPA's creation we were certainly headed there). I could go on, but I think you get the picture - the use of fossil fuels are unsustainable.

I look forward to the cooperation that will occur between the utilities, the PUC, and the consumers in order to help the state of Colorado create a sustainable, clean energy economy, if not for ourselves, then for future generations.