Mark's Newsletter Update: Your Job Creation Ideas
Dear Fellow Coloradan,
|
Colorado is blessed with abundant natural resources - including the sun, wind and natural gas - and great colleges and universities, which have helped us become a national clean energy leader. Continuing that leadership is the key to our future economic prosperity, and I'm working every day to help strengthen Colorado's position in the global clean energy marketplace. Earlier this year, I introduced a package of bills based on ideas from Coloradans and designed to create thousands of clean energy jobs. I've also co-sponsored the Natural Gas Act, which will help take advantage of Colorado's abundant natural gas reserves as a bridge fuel toward a clean energy future. But this is just the beginning. We need to do more to strengthen our economy and ensure that everyone who wants to work can do so.
I truly believe that the best ideas aren't Democratic ideas or Republican ideas, they're Colorado ideas. They're American ideas. The best ideas come from you - the experts on the needs and demands in our communities.
That's why last month, I again asked Coloradans to share more ideas for creating new jobs in the clean energy economy. I got hundreds of creative and thoughtful responses. It's clear from reading your messages that Colorado's innovative spirit is as strong as ever. I'm working to translate your great job creation ideas into actionable legislative policies that will encourage more rapid private sector job growth. See below to read just a few of the clean energy job ideas you've shared with me so far.
Thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with me. As always, I welcome feedback from all Coloradans. Please feel free contact my office through my website, or by calling toll-free 877-7-MUDALL.
Warm regards,
[ image removed in text-only mode ]
P.S. Tourism accounts for tens of billions of dollars in revenue for Colorado businesses every year. With landscapes like these it's no wonder why. Log into Facebook and click "LIKE" to choose your favorite photo to use as the masthead for my website: http://markudall.senate.gov/photocontest.
Here are just a few of the clean energy job ideas you've shared with me so far:
Dear Senator Udall, I strongly believe that there is a huge potential for job creation and saving federal tax dollars in removing the recently killed pine trees and converting the wood into low emission pellets to heat homes across the country. This would not only create jobs so badly needed, it would clean up our forest, and reduce the large infestation that continues to devastate our beautiful mountains. Also, it would greatly reduce the risk of wildfires that we have seen recently, and could become much more severe as this plague continues. This could also save countless millions of dollars in fighting these fires, while preventing the loss of lives and homes of the people that live in these areas, including the cost to rebuild the structures lost. Please let me know what you think of this idea, as I have been thinking about this for several years. Thank you, Kenneth Mausolf (Broomfield, Colorado)
Dear Senator Udall, my idea for helping get lower unemployment rates, higher in-state retainment rates, and use what we already have is this: I believe a Clean Energy Tax Credit should be created to help clean energy careers in Colorado, to assist displaced professionals in re-tooling themselves into management leaders in this quickly evolving arena! This would put many lower-upper management professionals into roles where they can be honed into the new energy mindset, without the costly and non-timely task of going back to university for an advanced degree and replacing that with actual on-the-job-experience, which we need faster to keep ahead of the curve! Thanks much for allowing my input. - Gene Splitter (Denver, Colorado)
Dear Senator Udall, my idea relates to the importance to those of us in your district who work in the renewable energy business of extending the 1603 Grant. As you know, if the grant is not extended, it is going to be a huge hit to our businesses. I have an idea for an alternative if the grant cannot be extended, which is making the solar tax credit for businesses transferrable so that even if the grant was terminated, a market for the credits could arise which would make solar financing more broadly available than if there was a non-transferrable credit (similar to Colorado state tax credit for conservation easements). Best, Dave Rich (Boulder, Colorado)
Dear Senator, There is a small company in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that would love to be relocated to northern Colorado. Their product, a wind turbine, can be used in remote locations without the need to be tied to a BIG grid. I'm not talking about Africa or India. There are 1,000,000 irrigation spigots between Kansas and California, each requiring diesel (dirty CO2) or electricity to operate. Imagine if the farmer had an alternative source of power on the farm: A wind turbine the size of a small silo with a generator at the bottom only 40 feet tall. Not a 300-foot big white pinwheel. One that could spin all winter selling power into the line and being able to draw against his savings when he needs to water the crops. - Joe Greany (Fort Collins, Colorado)
Senator, I would like to see a program teaming "green" energy with Dept. of Agriculture to provide funding for wind and solar turbines to provide energy for center pivot irrigation. Agriculture, especially here in Weld County, is desperately in need of increased profitability due to bank failures. Lowering energy costs by using wind and solar to provide jobs is a win-win opportunity. I believe a direct farm to pivot package bypassing public utilities is best since their rates are increasing so dramatically. The need to return to agriculture, mineral production, and timber resources that create new wealth are central to our economy. Another idea that needs increasing growth stimulation is the timber industry. Let's begin to use greater amounts of beetle-killed timber for ethanol production. - Cynthia Sidwell (Ault, Colorado)