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Where the Colorado governor candidates stand on renewable energy and the environment

Democrat Jared Polis and Republican Walker Stapleton have clashed over Polis’ renewable plans

Judith Kohler and Jon Murray / The Denver Post

Colorado is rich in resources: rivers that help supply the West, some of the country’s largest natural gas reserves, lots of wind and sunshine fueling a robust renewable energy industry, and public lands that support a $28 billion outdoor recreation economy.

Disagreements over how to manage those resources — and which ones take priority — are front and center in the Colorado governor’s race, especially when it comes to energy.

The centerpiece of Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis’ energy policy is his goal that 100 percent of the electricity on the state’s grid come from renewable sources by 2040. Republican state Treasurer Walker Stapleton’s energy policy has few details when it comes to promoting renewable generation, but he embraces what he calls an “all-of-the-above” approach — while taking special note of the “230,000 collective jobs and $32 billion” economic impact of Colorado’s oil and gas industry.

As the candidates debated Tuesday night in their last faceoff before the Nov. 6 election, Stapleton again portrayed Polis’ energy plan as a budget-buster. He said the price tag could be as high as $45 billion and would be passed on to “Coloradans who are struggling to put food on the table.”

Read the full story on The Denver Post website.


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