COLORADO GROUP HAS LUKEWARM RESPONSE TO SENATE’S CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON D.C. - Wednesday’s passage of the Senate version of clean-energy legislation passed by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee has elicited little support among Colorado’s environmental community. Environment Colorado  issued a release saying the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 “does little or nothing to spur renewable energy in this country. The proposal risks sensitive coastal ecosystems [in Florida] to pollution and spills from off-shore drilling, while worsening global warming by opening the door to high-carbon fuels such as liquid coal, tar sands and oil shale.”

THE GOVERNOR LAYS DOWN A CHALLENGE

DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter will issue a “Governor’s Challenge” to support entrepreneurs in the Clean Tech Open in the West Foyer of the State Capitol on Monday morning, between 9:30 and 10:00 AM.

The Clean Tech Open is a national business competition that, according to organizers, has helped more than 120 entrepreneurs launch companies—and subsequently raise over $125 million in external funding—since its inception in 2006. The Ritter Administration is touting the Clean Tech Open as a partner in its strategy of leading the state forward as a national and international leader in the New Energy Economy.

In addition to Gov. Ritter, speakers include Richard Franklin, co-chair of the Clean Tech Open, Rocky Mountain chapter, based in Denver, and Bob Cart, Founder & Executive Chairman, GreenVolts, a Clean Tech Open winner.

The 2009 competition includes more than a $1 million in total prizes and a “100K Jobs Challenge”—to create 100,000 clean tech jobs in America over the next five years.  Past competition winners and alumni include Adura Technologies, Cool Earth Solar and GreenVolts.
To learn more, visit: www.cleantechopen.com.

HOUSE BILL 2454: MORE THAN CLEAN ENERGY

By Michael Crist

 If Representative Henry Waxman (D-Ca.), the chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, has his way, the federal government may soon be telling you what you can and cannot do when it comes to improvements on your home. House Bill 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, the baby being hastily delivered to term by Henry Waxman, contains sweeping language that would not only regulate how businesses, especially energy companies, operate in this country but also have a tremendous impact at the very heart of American life, the home.

This seven hundred plus page bill which President Obama would like to see pushed through Congress as quickly and quietly as possible has many provisions which our elected representatives will probably never bother to read before they vote on it. In the rush to demagogue environmental concerns surrounding climate change, they are willing to undercut the progress being made through normal market forces with the heavy handed intrusion of the federal government. READ THE COMPLETE STORY HERE.