In a recent conversation with the Daily Caller News Foundation, Colorado Republican Representative Gabe Evans expressed his concerns over the state's aggressive green energy mandates and their impact on the national power grid.
Evans warned that these mandates, which he believes are causing power fluctuations at the Denver Airport, are a sign of the country's dwindling power supply. He emphasized that ignoring the country's energy needs could lead to increased costs for consumers and pose a threat to national security.
According to the Daily Caller, Evans stated, This is a national security issue, because if we dont have the power to make stuff, were going to lose ground compared to our global adversaries. He further criticized the Democrats' energy policies, claiming that they have led to "tens of billions of dollars that are going to be passed on to consumers in Colorado."
Evans pointed out that Colorado is retiring its energy resources at an alarming rate, five times faster than what he believes is sustainable. He noted that while Colorado only accounts for two percent of America's population and generates a similar percentage of U.S. electricity, the state is responsible for retiring about 10% of the electric generating stations in the country this year due to its war on oil, gas, and coal.
The Republican representative underscored the importance of a reliable power grid, citing the recent passage of his legislation, the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act, in the House. This act, which is now heading to the Senate, aims to ensure long-term reliability and protect the ability to continuously generate energy for a 30-day period, [factoring in] bad weather or natural disasters. By focusing on grid reliability and the ability to continuously generate energy, that is going to increase the supply of electricity out there. That drops costs for electricity.
As the midterms approach, Democrats are expected to campaign on affordability, leveraging their recent victories in New York, Virginia, and New Jersey. However, Evans, along with some energy policy experts, argue that the policies often advocated by Democrats increase energy costs by phasing out reliable supply on unrealistic timelines.
Evans stated, Democrats power policies are giving us scarcity. Republicans are promoting all-of-the-above strategies because we know we need more power on the grid to keep costs low for consumers. Democrats broke it, and now theyre trying to blame Republicans for what they broke.
The Colorado representative also warned of upcoming utility mandates in his state, which he believes will impose additional costs on consumers. He cited a mandate set to take effect on January 1, which will require the sale of only high-efficiency appliances, costing consumers thousands of dollars more than regular appliances.
Evans also highlighted a rule to ban natural gas for residential heating by 2050, stating, Youre talking around $20,000 to the consumer per house on the consumer side of the meter, because most houses dont have enough electricity going into the house to be able to take up that additional load. If you have to replace a natural gas-fired dryer, furnace, boiler and stove with electricity, you probably have to increase the amps of electricity going into your house.
These impending changes, he argues, will place an undue financial burden on the average consumer, further highlighting the need for a balanced and realistic approach to energy policy.
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