“Supporting an energy approach that prioritizes safe, affordable, and reliable power provides good paying jobs and is critical to national security. Nowhere is this more evident than in my congressional district, Colorado’s 8th, which fuels the rest of the state,” U.S. Representative Gabe Evans (R-CO-08) wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Times at the end of April.
In the piece, Rep. Evans highlights the importance of his district for producing fuel and generating power used by the state and the nation. In the north, Weld County produces 82% of the state’s oil and 56% of its natural gas. The county, which he has called an “all-of-the-above leader in energy,” is ranked fourth in the country for energy production.
As he stated in the op-ed, “Colorado’s natural gas reserves are among the cleanest in the world, and industry advancements have reduced methane emissions by well over 50% in the last decade, even as oil and gas production has increased. In fact, districts like mine make the cleanest and most environmentally and socially responsible power anywhere on the planet.”
Rep. Evans adds that Colorado’s natural gas is 40% cleaner than the state’s electric grid, and if the state did not produce it, China and Russia would step in to meet global demand. “These nations use slave labor, dirty coal, and low-quality natural gas. Merely replacing poor quality Russian natural gas in western Europe with clean American natural gas would save millions of tons of carbon emissions annually,” he explained.
Photo Courtesy The Western Way
Rep. Evans also noted that his district is a clean energy producer: “Wind and solar energy make my district a national leader in renewables while generating billions of dollars for the local community.” He told CBS News, “Oil and gas, wind, solar, geothermal … those are all home right here in Weld County.”
On a Colorado energy tour in March, in partnership with The Western Way, Rep. Evans toured several clean energy projects to learn more about the sector, “so we can make sure we are creating good policy in Congress to have an above all safe and affordable secure energy supply. The more knowledge, specifically knowledge from boots on the ground, the more of that knowledge I can get helps make better policies and better policy decisions in Congress. Because, it is taking into account the actual needs of operators,” he told CBS News. His ultimate goal is to “bring down costs for the consumer and bring jobs back to the United States. That is what it is all about.”
One of Pivot Energy’s 5 MW solar and energy storage sites in Weld County was a destination on the tour. The project co-exists with the landowner’s planting and harvesting of ten acres of pumpkins and twenty acres of root vegetables and sunflowers. “This is really the first big solar tour I’ve done. So, really (I had) just a lot of logistical questions about how it works, where the materials come from, how the electricity gets to the grid and where in the grid it goes,” Rep. Evans recounted.
Pivot Energy said in a statement that it was excited that the congressman “saw how solar and agriculture production work together to maximize the co-benefits of our solar projects.” Tom Hunt, CEO of Pivot Energy, detailed the company’s impact on Colorado’s 8th district: “We are putting a lot of property taxes into Weld County. We are providing reliable energy to the grid. It provides the best of all those worlds when we build those projects here.”
Photo Courtesy Pivot Energy
Another destination on the tour was Vestas’s factory in Brighton, where the company manufactures nacelles and hubs for wind turbines. The company reflected, “With nearly 1,800 manufacturing employees in Colorado and $1.7 billion spent across the U.S. supply chain last year alone, Vestas is committed to strengthening domestic energy production, supporting local economic development, and powering communities across the U.S.” According to Evans, the facility makes nearly half of the domestic supply of wind generators.
Rep. Evans was also one of the twenty-one Republicans who, in March, sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, U.S. Representative Jason Smith (MO-8), advocating for clean energy tax credits. In a social media post, he remarked, “Business leaders in #CO08 are united in support for clean energy tax credits. I support keeping clean energy tax credits in place to fuel job growth and improve the economy within Colorado and the U.S.”
Photo Courtesy American Clean Power
Also, on his energy tour, Rep. Evans described the importance of this sector for local wellbeing, “CO-08 energy production and a strong economy go hand-in-hand. Embracing all types of energy production brings jobs to our district and supports domestic energy, which in turn lowers costs for Colorado families.”
Additionally, he highlighted his district’s future energy needs. “In my part of Colorado, it is estimated we will need triple our current amount of electricity in just the next ten years.” Therefore, he wrote, “Both traditional and renewable energy sources will be required. Protecting and promoting variable resources like wind and solar will help. Baseload generation like gas and coal that never turns off is also essential. New technologies must be championed. Making these investments will directly benefit American workers and make a stronger and more diverse energy sector.” He echoed the same sentiment on his website, “I support a safe, reliable, and secure energy policy. This means supporting oil, gas, nuclear, renewables, and new technologies to better the entirety of American energy production.”
Rep. Evans is well-positioned to make a difference, being the first incoming freshman representative appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 14 years. He expressed in the op-ed, “This gives me a direct role in shaping policies that impact our energy sector and economic competitiveness. To produce more energy, we must cut nonsensical red tape and promote responsible growth in all sectors. This policy is essential to securing America’s energy dominance, reducing the cost of living, and protecting the livelihoods of hardworking Coloradans.”
He concluded the piece by noting that he is dedicated to implementing this type of change. He wrote, “As we look to the future, I am committed to advancing policies that put energy security, affordability, and American jobs first. Colorado’s 8th district is proof that an all-of-the-above energy strategy works. I will continue fighting for solutions that unleash our full energy potential.”
