Most of the attention and focus this past week was on the House of Representatives where four gun violence prevention bills had committee hearings packed and House members debating long into the night. But, plenty was happening in the Senate…
Valentine’s Day was my excuse to give a little love to the folks at the Capitol who, day in and day out, help me to be successful. I handed out personal notes of gratitude and my favorite treat – cinnamon suckers from Taffy’s - to committee staffers, interns, Sergeants at Arms, and aides. Not that I don’t appreciate my Senate peers but, it’s our support staff who are the unsung heros that keep our wheels of democracy turning.
An action we took in State, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee got some attention this week. Democrat Sen. Lois Tochtrop and Republican Sen. Kevin Grantham brought forward SB63, which would have expanded the state’s current Renewable Energy Standard (RES) to include the burning of waste materials. It was presented in State Affairs on Wednesday and received a full and fair hearing. After careful consideration, I voted no because I voted my values, the values that were instilled in me by the community I now serve:
• Good leadership requires a long-term vision – changing the definition of our RES for one project is short-sighted when we consider the 17,000 jobs that our new energy economy has already brought to Colorado. Yes, 17,000!
• Protect Pueblo – I would never risk the recovery happening right here in Pueblo, at Vestas. This bill represented a threat to a market that our future and the future of our children depends on.
• Environmental Conservation- the burning of waste material, such as landfill trash, is highly suspect as a renewable energy and a case was not made for awarding renewable energy credits to a resource derived from the additional burning of fossil fuels.
When the bill failed on a 3-2 vote, I was a bit disappointed that Sen. Grantham, from Canon City, and Pueblo’s newly elected Rep. Navarro-Ratzliff tried to characterize me in the media as somehow anti-Pueblo and engaging in all manner of evil as a Democrat. Come on, we can rise above partisan mudslinging, can't we? We don’t all operate from the same values but we can surely find some common ground. Pueblo (and all of Colorado) needs us to work together. We can show some love beyond Feb. 14, right?
Rep. Swerdfeger, I'm missing you!
