“Energy isn’t just a policy issue,” U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO-03) recently wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Times. “It’s personal.”
The Congressman and father of five recalls visiting the Craig Station coal power plant as a fundamental moment in his decision to run for office. The site’s upcoming closure in 2028, coupled with that of the Comanche 3 power plant in Pueblo, will impact residents and is a warning sign of things to come for the rest of the country, he argued: “My constituents in this part of Colorado are most worried about losing their jobs and the economic fallout to their communities. But all of us should be worried about Colorado’s energy future: Without a serious replacement, Coloradans can expect higher bills, less reliability, and a more fragile grid.”
Rep. Hurd laments that higher electric bills will pass those costs on to local ratepayers. In an interview last year, he claimed, “Energy sort of operates as a hidden tax” on the costs of gas, groceries, and even homes. In the op-ed, he wrote, “When energy costs rise, the price of everything else, housing, food, transportation goes up too. That burden hits working families, rural communities, and small businesses hardest.”
Photo Courtesy Jeff Hurd
However, the op-ed points to a brighter future for his district, state, and country. “But here’s the good news: Colorado’s 3rd District has the resources to lead. Oil. Gas. Uranium. Geothermal. High-quality coal. Rare earths and minerals essential for renewables. We sit atop the ingredients for a resilient, diverse energy future, one that powers our homes, supports good-paying jobs, and strengthens America’s position in the world,” he asserted. “We have a chance right now to pursue an energy agenda that strengthens our economy at home and projects stability abroad.”
Rep. Hurd paints a picture of American energy dominance if the nation capitalizes upon its potential. “In a world of growing uncertainty, American energy should be a stabilizing force. It can lower costs, lift families out of poverty, and give our allies the security they need to stand with us. That’s not a political talking point, it’s a strategy for prosperity, strength, and peace,” he wrote.
Besides dominance, Rep. Hurd ran his campaign focused on the potential of American energy independence, which consists of an all-of-the-above approach. His campaign website states that as a believer in free markets, “Jeff is open to competitively priced renewable energy and low-carbon resources,” adding that he “supports the responsible development of all Colorado energy resources. This includes some of the cleanest oil and natural gas molecules in the world. It’s a win for Colorado when these resources are produced cleanly, safely, and efficiently.” Plus, the website described “a win for the United States when we export our energy resources: Colorado energy can substitute for higher-carbon fuels abroad, and exporting Colorado energy will protect our allies from energy blackmail from countries like Russia or China.”
Notably, Rep. Hurd was 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.
To achieve energy independence and dominance, the regulatory red tape and infrastructure bottlenecks must be addressed. Rep. Hurd claimed in the op-ed that, “It starts by removing the roadblocks to responsible development.” His campaign website adds that permitting and regulatory reform will benefit the development and generation of both low-carbon and traditional sources, and that overall, “Colorado must do everything it can to support energy projects—particularly reliable generation that’s available on demand.”
Energy dominance will require supporting families at home, he noted in the op-ed: “It means minimizing the hidden energy tax that families feel every time they fuel up or turn on the heat.” This will result in lower energy bills, higher-paying jobs in the energy sector, and tax and lease revenue flowing into local communities.
Energy dominance will include stepping up as a leader on the global scale: “It means exporting our resources, our know-how, and our leadership to allies around the world who would rather depend on us than on hostile regimes,” he added. Merely producing more than other nations will not get us to dominance. “The real measure isn’t just what we produce, it’s how we use it, export it, and leverage it to strengthen our economy, our national security, and allies abroad.”
As Rep. Hurd concluded the piece, “We have the resources. We have the workers. We just need the political will.”
