When we talk about working together in Colorado, the energy industry is often at the top of our list. You only have to consider how hard they have worked to produce clean burning natural gas while upholding some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the country. Or, that they led efforts to avoid costly and economically devastating ballot issues that were proposed for November. Or, how this diverse energy industry works together to deliver on a great economic future for both renewable sources of energy as well as traditional sources of energy. That can-do, problem-solving attitude serves us well in Colorado.
The Colorado Energy Coalition, a coalition of our affiliate the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, released a study Tuesday about Colorado’s energy industry. That study depicts the economic impact of the collaboration we’ve seen this past year.
Resource Rich Colorado compares Colorado to the other 49 states in our union and its findings confirm that we are leaders and innovators in this important industry:
- We adopted the nation’s first air-quality regulations for oil and gas operators.
- We rank third in per-capita venture capital investments, investing in energy innovation.
- We rank ninth for new LEED-certified square footage per capita.
The study reinforced what an economic powerhouse our energy industry is:
- We have the third-fastest growing oil industry in the nation.
- Our cleantech industry directly employs over 23,000 people (sixth in the nation).
- Jobs in fossil fuels grew 29.5 percent in five years and we added over 2,000 jobs in that sector in just the last year.
What makes Colorado unique is that we create all kinds of energy:
- We rank sixth for both natural gas production and natural gas reserves.
- We have lots of renewable energy capacity: We rank seventh for most installed solar and 10th for most installed wind.
- We rank 11th in coal production and eighth in proven coal reserves.
Click here to read the full report.
We’re lucky to live in place with businesses that literally power our state and our country. And, they carry forward some of the core values of our business community: we work together, we solve problems and we think long-term. And, as citizens we’ve stood with them to share our support for those values.
Consider this: nearly 35,000 people have signed the Vital for Colorado pledge that supports responsible energy development. Lend your voice and your support for this important industry today by joining the thousand who have already pledged.
Kelly Brough is president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
[Photo by: Joe Goldberg]