Governor addresses business concerns

BYLINE: Bob Mook

Fresh from his first General Assembly, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter hailed economic development efforts in the field of renewable energy as the greatest accomplishment of his first legislative session.

Addressed roughly 800 people at a luncheon, Ritter highlighted his agenda over the past five months. The event, sponsored by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, took place at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.

Ritter lauded legislative efforts to reach a consensus on "building a new energy economy," including legislation that expands state mandates on renewable energy sources and a new law signed that makes it easier to build or expand transmission lines to move wind power generated in remote rural areas to population centers.

Shortly after Ritter took office, Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer, announced that it would build a $62 million manufacturing plant near Windsor in Northern Colorado -- creating 420 new jobs.

But Ritter said that despite advances in the fledgling renewable energy field, it's important to remember that traditional energy companies remain a vital part of the economy.

"We need to make sure [the energy sector] remains strong, but if we don't pay attention to health, wildlife and environmental concerns, we'll do a real disservice," Ritter said.

Ritter praised a measure that will expand the number of people on the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission and change the criteria of the regulatory commissions' composition. The bill, House Bill 1341, has generated some heat from energy lobbyists but is expected to be signed by Ritter.

Despite the achievements of the recent session, Ritter empathized that Colorado needs to improve funding for higher education.

The Governor noted while voters' approval of Referendum C has given the state some relief, Colorado has fallen from No. 49 to No. 50 in per-pupil funding of higher education.

He said the decline of funding would have ramifications on the economy since colleges and universities spur innovation that creates new startups. Companies looking to expand or relocate in Colorado also consider the health of the state's educational institutions.

"We will be really lost the day we start regarding higher education as a 'pet project,'" he said.