There is a fascinating development in the race for Colorado governor which reveals either the shocking ignorance, or devious duplicity of former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo.
Tancredo has long scoffed at the idea of man made global warming and climate change, addressing fears of global warming with the line "We have a position, its bull****.” Yet Tancredo has promised, if elected governor, to appoint a Colorado Senator who voted for the the controversial and much opposed 'clean air, clean jobs act' to head the State's Dept of Natural Resources.
Tancredo, who recently switched parties and is running under the Constituion Party label, issued a press release which stated, in part, "Tancredo, whose support has surged in recent weeks, said he would appoint Assistant Senate Minority Leader Greg Brophy to run the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which oversees energy, wildlife, and other natural resources".
Greg Brophy, a Colorado State Senator from District 1 since 2005, boasts on his personal website that "I have also remained true to my principles of Limited Government, Personal Responsibility, Protection of Private Property Rights, & Fiscal Responsibility". He posts a list of legislation he has sponsored. Glaringly absent, however, is any mention of the fact that Brophy supported and voted for Colorado's so-called “Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act”, HB10-9 1365. (View in PDF). Approved by the Colorado legislature on April 19th of this year, it is described on the state website as 'Incent Util Convert Coal To Natural Gas'. Brophy's name appears at the top of the law's session page.
Vigorously opposed by a wide coalition of Coal Miners, Tea Party groups and conservatives in Colorado, HB 1365 has been described by opponents as "no more than the Colorado version of cap and trade".
When one examines the massive reasoned opposition to this law, it is inexplicable why Tancredo, who purportedly does not fall for the global warming and climate change hysteria of the establishment, would choose Brophy to head the state agency. Even worse is the fact that Tancredo and Brophy decry the loss of jobs by the 'Democrats' in their press release; yet 'The Clean Air Clean Jobs Act' is opposed by thousands of hard-working Americans in Colorado who will lose their jobs as a result of it. They are pleading to stop the disastrous implementation of HB 1365 and explaning to the public "how it will negatively affect all of our lives here" .
Even worse is Colorado's reasoning that the law was necessary in order to comply with federal regulations which do not even yet exist. The legislative website stated: "In order to meet reasonably foreseeable federal "Clean Air Act" requirements to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, all rate-regulated utilities that own or operate coal-fired electric generating units must submit to the public utilities commission (PUC) an emission reduction plan... The plans are to be implemented by December 31, 2017...The PUC is to approve, deny, or modify the plans by December 15, 2010..."
In Tancredo's press release praising Brophy, whom he describes as "a Prius-driving Eastern Colorado Republican farmer and longtime supporter of responsible energy development", Tancredo states
"For the last four years, Democrats have pursued a radical, job-killing agenda. Colorado deserves to know how their next Governor will be different from the disastrous Ritter Administration. ...Senator Brophy and Commissioner Meis will help bring technical expertise and experience to these positions, and their appointment will be the first step in restoring balance and common sense to resource management in this state...the Democrats took Colorado from the best place in the country for oil and gas investment to dead last in one year...The good news is that Greg Brophy and Craig Meis are going to turn that around starting on Day One."
The official testimony of Jonathan B. Koehn, the City of Boulder’s Regional Sustainability Coordinator on behalf of the city and County of Boulder on September 17, 2010, will make it clear to any who doubt the insidious agenda and ideology behind the 'Clean Air and Jobs Act'. Koehn stated, in part,
"The City and the County enthusiastically support the vision behind the passage of HB10-9 1365, the “Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act.” We applaud the extraordinary work spearheaded by Governor Ritter, policymakers, energy companies and environmental organizations to sharply reduce pollutants in Colorado by replacing older coal-fired power plants with facilities fueled by lower-emitting fuel sources. This plan will not only improve Colorado’s environment, create jobs and boost the economy, but it will serve as a model for other states and for the nation.
"...we also know that accelerating climate change will require a conversion to carbon-free energy sources at an unprecedented scale and that increased use of natural gas can only continue for a finite period of time ...as we all know, coal plants are a major contributor to global warming, producing enormous CO2 emissions. Climate change is likely to either further reduce precipitation throughout the West or change the cycle of precipitation, resulting in more rainfall and less snowfall and limiting our ability to en sure water availability throughout the year. Continuing to operate coal plants will likely strain our alr eady limited water resources, pollute this valuable resource and accelerate climate change."
More letters to the editor in Colorado by opponents of the law are pouring in as the public, including the president of a mining company, tries in vain to prevent the state government from implementing these disastrous plans.
Tancredo's buddy, meanwhile, despite the barrage of business owners, workers, and small government proponents who oppose the law because of the jobs it will cost, states "We will take immediate steps to provide the balance needed to encourage energy development in Colorado so Moms and Dads can get back to work!”
Tancredo should be ashamed of himself for picking someone who is diametrically opposed to the ideals Tancreo espouses to his supporters regarding global warming.
Special thanks to Matt Winey, who wrote a letter to the editor of the Craig Daily Press regarding this issue, which brought it to my attention.
Also: Tom Tancredo & Sheriff Joe Arpaio endorse a 9/11 truther for governor of California
This article may not be reproduced in its entirety except with permission of the author or Examiner.com.
Martin Hill is a Catholic paleoconservative and civil rights advocate. His work has been featured on LewRockwell.com, WhatReallyHappened, Infowars, PrisonPlanet, Rense, National Motorists Association, and many others. You can view a full archive of his Examiner articles here.
Comments