By Paul Baker

DENVER and WASHINGTON - If elected officials in Denver and our nation’s Capitol are going to continue investing in energy through subsidies, tax breaks and other incentives, the focus should shift from coal and nuclear power to promoting wind and solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, and highly fuel-efficient vehicles.

At least this is what seems to be pointedly suggested in the results of a new survey of 600 Colorado adults conducted for TheCLEAN.org and the Civil Society Institute (CSI) by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC).

The findings will, no doubt, be heralded as another indication of Coloradoans’ strong support for renewable energy and enhanced efficiency, which have been hallmarks of Gov. Ritter’s Administration since he took office. This is understandable, although some observers may question the rather limited scope of the survey. Perhaps it would have been a more accurate barometer of citizens’ energy opinions if a question or two about the booming natural gas sector in Colorado were included in the questionnaire.

The results do provide a clear - if limited - snapshot of what Coloradoans prefer when it comes to energy options. Among the more interesting findings:

A halt to construction of new coal-fired power plants is supported by most Colorado adults. Just over three out of four respondents in the state (76 percent) and 73 percent of Americans would support a five-year moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in the United States if there were stepped-up investment in clean, safe renewable energy — such as wind and solar — and improved home energy-efficiency standards.

Only 9 percent of Colorado residents favor subsidies for unregulated oil shale production. Nearly two out of five state residents (38 percent) favor no subsidies at all for oil shale; roughly half (48 percent) believe that subsidies for oil shale should only exist with “strict environmental controls.” Taken together, the latter two data points mean that nearly nine out of 10 Colorado residents favor eliminating or placing strong conditions on oil shale subsidies.

Nearly nine out of 10 Colorado residents (87 percent) believe that “natural gas companies should have to provide information to nearby communities and residents about hazardous chemicals used and produced in natural gas production.” Only about one in 10 (11 percent disagree on the grounds that “disclosure of hazardous chemicals would give information to competitors and harm the gas company.”

Summarizing the survey findings, Civil Society Institute President and Founder, Pam Solo, said “Colorado residents deserve credit for understanding that more investment by the state and federal governments in coal and nuclear power is essentially the same thing as investing in subprime mortgages.

If Colorado taxpayers are going to directly or indirectly underwrite energy development and energy-intensive industries — such as the auto industry — we need to insist that state officials in Denver and the next Congress and president make good, solid investments that make sense for the long-term of our country. The only energy investments that rise above the ’subprime’ level today are wind, solar and other clean renewable energy in concert with enhanced energy efficiency.”