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Colorado in Line with President’s Push for Renewables

President Obama wants more of America’s energy to be produced by clean sources. He’ll hit the road next week with that message. While Colorado is not among his stops, the state is already charging ahead with its own renewable standard.

Colorado is the first state to have a voter approved energy standard which calls on utility companies to get 30% of their power from renewable sources by 2020. The President wants a national standard of 80% by 2035. But depending on one’s definition of “clean sources” – Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the nation is already half way to the goal.

“This is clean energy from not only wind and solar – but also from nuclear, turbines and hydro power with clean coal and carbon sequestration and capture and gas,” says Chu.

President Obama was criticized for including nuclear and coal in his energy plan that was unveiled during this week’s State of the Union Address. Chu defends the inclusion of coal by saying the technology exists to reduce and sequester CO2 emissions.

Colorado is also pushing forward with its own controversial plan to convert many coal burning power plants to natural gas by 2017. The Clean Air-Clean jobs act was signed by Governor Bill Ritter in 2010.

Email: brian.larson@kunc.org