Pushing for Greater Energy Efficiency

The push towards a new, clean energy economy for the 21st century continues to gain momentum at a pace never before seen in our Nation’s history. The harmful repercussions of a changing global climate, coupled with our dangerous dependence on foreign, often antagonistic governments to supply our energy demands drive the need to continue this push, particularly through the improvement and expansion of our National renewable energy portfolio.

I want to share with you several initiatives and events I was involved in recently to further our energy independence and foster the growth of renewable energy technologies.

Change a Light, Change the World

Earlier this month, I cosponsored Senate Bill 2017, The Energy Efficient Lighting for a Brighter Tomorrow Act, which would mandate a gradual transition from incandescent light bulb technologies to newer, more efficient bulbs that produce the same amount of light with far less energy. Now, I am encouraging every Coloradan to take a simple step to help conserve energy.

The Change a Light, Change the World campaign asks Americans throughout the Nation to change at least a single inefficient light in their home or business for one that has earned the Government’s ENERGY STAR certification. If every home in Colorado participates in the campaign, the combined individual actions would save enough energy to light all the households in Denver for over 70 days and prevent nearly 147 million pounds of harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

It is often the small changes we make in our daily lives that make the biggest difference to our futures – that is why I encourage you to JOIN me and the over 500,000 Americans who have already pledged to promote greater efficiency and a cleaner environment by changing their incandescent light bulbs to ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Please write me to share how you, your household or your business have taken steps to lower your energy bills, save electricity, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and save our planet. For example, my Denver U.S. Senate office has replaced every incandescent bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb. Your responses will be posted on my website, with your permission, as examples of how individual people or businesses can alter the course of our Nation’s energy future for the better.

Climate Change and Wildfires

In Colorado, we are all too familiar with the destruction wrought by wildfires. We can all remember the Hayman wildfire in the summer of 2002 that burned nearly 138,000 acres over the course of three weeks and forced over 40,000 people to evacuate their homes while leaving 133 Coloradans homeless.

Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, of which I am a member, held a hearing to discuss the potential link between a changing global climate and increased wildfire activity in the United States. Climate change is increasingly being cited by scientists as the cause for our more frequent and severe wildfires.

This past June, the Senate passed an energy bill that has the potential to curb the progression of climate change by promoting the use of renewable energy and by reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the future as this legislation is considered by a House-Senate conference committee.

How we reduce our dependence on foreign oil, make better use of our National energy supply and trim down emissions of harmful greenhouse gases are key challenges that we cannot afford to neglect. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the United States Senate, Colorado State officials and all of you to continue the push towards a new, clean energy economy for the 21st Century.

Sincerely,

United States Senator
Ken Salazar

Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have 

Senator Ken Salazar's DC office is located at 702 Hart Senate office building, Washington, DC 20510. He has Colorado regional offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Ft. Morgan, Pueblo, Durango, Grand Junction and Alamosa. For contact and mailing info, click here.