DENVER— Last night, anti-science democrats in the Senate Transportation and Energy committee killed Senate Bill 24-039, a bill that would have promoted the development of safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy in Colorado. The bill, championed by Senator Larry Liston (R – Colorado Springs) would have redefined nuclear energy as “clean energy” under Colorado statute.
“It is our responsibility to lay the groundwork for the development of reliable and renewable energy for future generations to come, this bill would have done exactly that,” Senator Liston said following the bill’s defeat. “Nuclear energy is clean, reliable, sustainable, and safe; by correctly defining it as such, we would have invited its development and ultimate deployment.”
Support for the bill’s passage was widespread. Nuclear engineers, scientists, and energy experts testified in support of the bill during committee. Grace Stanke, a nuclear engineer and former Miss America, traveled to Colorado to speak in support of the bill in person.
“Nuclear stands for hope,” Grace Stanke said during her testimony. “I’m Gen-Z. Our generational issue is climate change, and we don’t know what it’s going to look like for our grandkids. To us, nuclear energy is reliable energy, and emissions free energy, and it’s the path forward.”
Despite assurance of nuclear energy’s safety and efficiency from experts in the field, anti-science Democrat Senators Winter, Cutter, Exum, and Priola all voted against the bill.
“How can the Democrats even pretend to care about the development of renewable energy when they vote against a bill like this?” Senator Liston added. “It is a sad commentary that the Democrats are choosing to prioritize their cheap political games over this meaningful and impactful public policy. The energy issues we face as a state are not going to go away any time soon; this bill was an important and long overdue first step towards creating reliable and clean energy in Colorado. This bill would have especially helped the residents of southern Colorado, particularly Pueblo and the communities of north-west Colorado, who were strongly in favor of this meaningful legislation.”
Senate Bill 039 is just one of the numerous attempts Republicans have made over the years to encourage the development of clean energy sources in this state. Last year, Senator Liston ran a similar bill that too was killed by Democrats in committee. In the 2022 legislative session former Senator Bob Rankin’s bill, Senate Bill 22-079, which would have initiated a study to explore the feasibility of the adoption of micro nuclear reactors in Colorado, was also killed by anti-science Democrats. In the 2022 legislative session, former Senator Rob Woodward was successful in passing Senate Bill 22-118, which encouraged the adoption of renewable and affordable geothermal energy development.