Colorado’s Working Families Will Benefit from a New Energy Future
The time has come for Colorado to put its technological expertise and natural advantages to work to create a new energy future. By investing in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biofuels and energy efficiency measures we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reinvigorate our economy, create good new jobs, protect consumers, and safeguard our environment.

Colorado is Ready for a New Energy Future
Colorado currently has the technology and natural advantages to harness renewable sources of energy and employ state of the art energy efficiency technology.

• Colorado is on track to get 10% of its electricity from renewables by the end of 2008. We have the potential to get 11.5 times our estimated electricity generation from wind power alone in 2006.i
• Colorado is home to an emerging biofuel industry. Currently, ethanol accounts for roughly 5% of our gasoline use. New plants with the capacity to produce hundreds of millions more gallons are under construction.
• Colorado’s utilities have launched energy efficiency programs to help consumers use energy more efficiently and save millions each year.
• Colorado is already a leader in renewable energy research and innovation. We are home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and several leading energy research universities in CU-Boulder, CSU, and the Colorado School of Mines.

The Plan for Colorado’s Energy Future Will Save Consumers Money

• Our Plan for a New Energy Future will help Colorado’s working families save billions of dollars. Investing in efficiency measures that will achieve a 10% reduction in electricity and natural gas use will generate $1.8 billion in net benefits for Coloradoans over the lifetime of measures installed between now and 2015. Wind power can also save ratepayers money. Xcel predicts that their Colorado Green wind farm will save ratepayers $4.6 million annually and current plans to construct new wind farms are projected to save a total of $251 million.

Our Plan For A New Energy Future Will Create Thousands Of Good New Jobs
Our Plan will create an additional:

• 6,432 good, new 1 year jobs for the construction of wind and solar facilities.
• 489 permanent jobs for the maintenance of those renewable facilities.
• 3,200 permanent jobs from the increase in energy efficiency.
• Hundreds of new jobs for the construction and operation of new ethanol and biodiesel facilities.