US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz describes Colorado as having an “all of the above” energy strategy, a strategy that will take the state in the same direction President Obama wants to take the entire country.
On Friday, March 30, Moniz participated in an energy forum at the Colorado School of Mines hosted by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO). The forum featured a number of Colorado alternative energy entrepreneurs as well as local government officials.
Moniz confirmed reports the Environmental Protection Agency will release rules next week requiring power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Energy Secretary Moniz said the federal government does want to keep all forms of energy generation on the table, but there’s a caveat.
“It starts with a clear commitment to greenhouse gas reduction,” he said.
Coal-fired plants are largely the target of these proposed reg and the industry is already threatening lawsuits. Moniz said he hopes the rules will spur innovation in clean coal technologies.
As we have been reporting this week, government officials in energy-intensive states like Wyoming are already lambasting the rules–claiming they will hurt the state’s coal-dependent economy.