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Environment Colorado's Matthew Garrington speaking at the event. |
DENVER—Standing
before hundreds of pinwheels outside of the Capitol Building
Environment Colorado and the Sierra Club highlighted the potential and
support for renewable energy in Colorado.
The pinwheels were displayed to represent the potential wind energy that could provide Colorado
and the nation with electricity. Environment Colorado and the Sierra
Club called on Congress to establish a national Renewable Electricity
Standard requiring that utilities generate 20% of their electricity
from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020, an issue that will
be debated in the House and Senate within the next few weeks.
“There is no question that America
has the know-how to move beyond fossil fuels and to tap into our
abundant renewable energy resources,” said Matt Garrington Environment
Colorado’s Field Director. “Colorado voters have already shown their commitment to renewable energy and now Colorado can help power the rest of the country.”
By the end of this year Colorado
will produce more than 10 percent of its electricity from clean,
renewable sources of energy like wind and solar power. Countries like Denmark currently derive more than 20 percent of their overall electricity generation from wind power alone.
One
of the most proven policies to drive renewable energy development, an
RES, also known as a “renewable portfolio standard” or RPS, has been
enacted in more than 20 states, including Colorado. These policies require that utilities generate a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources.
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Roger Singer of the Sierra Club |
Colorado’s
renewable energy standard of 20% by 2020 will create over 4,000 jobs,
raise the state GDP by $1.9 billion, and increase wages by $570
million. The success of Colorado’s renewable energy standard will be multiplied with the adoption of a national renewable energy standard.
“Colorado has the 5th best solar energy potential in the nation and the 11thColorado can and will be a clean energy exporter in America’s new energy future.” best wind energy potential in the nation, ,” said Matt Garrington. “
The Danish company Vestas is already planning to build a wind turbine manufacturing facility outside Windsor, Colorado.
And just last month, Gov. Bill Ritter and Florida Power and Light broke
ground on what will be the nation’s second largest wind farm just
outside Peetz, Colorado.
With
Congress seeking to address energy security and global warming this
summer, there is momentum building to establish a national RES.
Environment Colorado called on Congress to pass legislation to
establish a national RES of 20 percent by 2020.
An
analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that a standard of
20 percent by 2020 would create 355,000 jobs, save consumers $49
billion on their electric bills, and direct $16.2 billion to rural
communities.
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Volunteers set up hundreds of Pinwheels to raise awareness about wind energy. |
“We
should heed the advice of our fellow Coloradans to act quickly at all
levels of government to promote the development of clean energy like
wind and solar. This will reduce global warming pollution, instead of
wasting money on outdated and harmful fossil fuel technology,” said
Roger Singer, Regional Representative of the Sierra Club. “I look
forward to the day these symbolic pinwheels are replaced with an equal
number and more wind turbines here in Colorado.”
Clean energy advocates are specifically calling on Colorado’s congressional delegation to join
U.S.
Representatives DeGette, Perlmutter, and Udall to cosponsor H.R. 969,
which would establish a 20% by 2020 Renewable Electricity Standard.
