Denver Post – Plan Propels Energy Talk

9/30/08

With northern Colorado alternative-energy ventures as a backdrop, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce called Tuesday for a sweeping set of initiatives on national energy policy.

The business-advocacy group said all forms of energy — from nuclear and petroleum to wind and solar power — need accelerated development to meet U.S. demand.

The chamber's "blueprint" of 75 policy recommendations calls for more than $25 billion in federal spending and tax credits to stimulate research and development across the energy spectrum.

"For too many decades, the government has taken every option off the table instead of putting more options on the table," said James Jones, president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce'sInstitute for 21st Century Energy.

The initiatives were unveiled in a Fort Collins presentation to Colorado business and academic leaders.

Jones said Fort Collins was chosen for the event because the region's renewable- energy ventures offer a template for successful public-sector and private-sector cooperation.

"The blueprint is not just a Washington- based, government solution," he said. "It builds on the principles at work here in Colorado. The unconventional partnerships in the public and private sectors are the key to finding solutions."

Jones and other speakers cited Fort Collins-based ventures such as Solix Biofuels, a firm working to commercialize fuel production from algae; engine and power-systems developer Woodward Governor; nonprofit energy-technology firm Envirofit; and Colorado State University's Engines & Energy Conversion Laboratory.

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