Congressman Jeff Hurd told Colorado energy leaders that stable, predictable policies are critical for long-term planning and affordable energy costs. During a Denver roundtable, he discussed energy incentives, water funding, immigration reform, and bipartisan priorities.
by Lindsey Toomer, Colorado Newsline
Energy policy in the U.S. needs to be predictable, stable and transparent, because when funding and regulations fluctuate with every federal administration, unexpected costs fall onto consumers, according to U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd.
Hurd held a roundtable discussion alongside Guzman Energy CEO Christopher Miller in the company’s Denver office Wednesday, with other energy leaders from around the state and Guzman staff attending. He answered questions from attendees about what he likes most about being in Congress, navigating the politics of energy, and long-term immigration reforms.
The Grand Junction Republican highlighted several issues he sees Congress being able to address on a bipartisan basis, such as permitting reform, a ban on congressional stock trades, and an end to gerrymandering. Reduction of wildfire risk and Colorado forest management is a priority for the full Colorado delegation, he said.
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Congress over time has given away too many of its constitutional powers to the executive branch, to the detriment of U.S. citizens, Hurd said. That leads to “wildly fluctuating policy changes” that make it hard to reliably plan on federal government funding, Hurd said.
Virginia Harman, CEO of Mountain Parks Electric Inc., said the politicization of energy makes it hard for businesses to plan for the future when what’s acceptable and funded one day is unacceptable and unfunded the next. Harman asked Hurd how to navigate such swings.
“Most utilities would prefer regulatory predictability over tax incentives, and just the ability to be able to plan and to predict what’s going to happen,” Hurd said. “I think one of the worst things that Washington does is changing the rules of the game midway in the game.”
He opposed cuts to Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for renewable energy, he said, because companies were preparing budgets several years out with those credits in mind. The GOP’s “big beautiful bill” last year, which Hurd voted for, phased out most IRA clean energy incentives. Hurd said he opposes President Donald Trump canceling funds for wind projects in Rhode Island in the same way he opposed President Joe Biden canceling permits for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The U.S. needs to secure its borders, but immigration processes need to be reasonable and predictable, Hurd said. He worries that the U.S. is losing talented workers who could benefit the country because the immigration system is slow and unpredictable, he said.
Trump vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have given Colorado towns more time to pay back federal loans for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a pipeline project that will provide more clean water to southeastern Colorado. The Trump administration also denied Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ request for two disaster declarations that would have opened up federal funding to support recovery from wildfires and flooding in the 3rd Congressional District, which Hurd represents. All 10 members of Colorado’s congressional delegation, Republicans and Democrats, supported Polis’ appeal of the initial decision, which Trump also denied.
The veto and disaster declaration denials were among “harsh measures” Trump promised if Colorado did not release election denier and former Republican Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters from prison. Polis has since cut Peters’ sentence, and she will be released from state prison next week.
Getting federal funding to his district is something he’s “consistently pushed for, regardless of what’s happening in the state politically,” Hurd said. He said he is confident that new legislation supporting the Arkansas Valley Conduit will get passed.
“As a delegation in Colorado, we’re committed to ensuring that the projects that are supposed to be funded, in whatever part of the state, are funded, and that we have the regulatory predictability, and stability that we need in order to affect good public policy here in the state of Colorado,” Hurd said.
Hurd highlighted a recent win for Colorado when it comes to federal water funding: $40 million to help the Colorado River District purchase water rights associated with the Shoshone Power Plant. Hurd said it is “one of the oldest and most important water rights in Colorado.”
“I’m confident that we’ll continue to get wins, but it requires persistence,” Hurd said. “It requires dedication, and it requires understanding the political dynamics of both the state and the federal government, and I’m committed to being even better at that as the months and years go on.”
Hurd is up for reelection this year. He faces GOP challenger Ron Hanks, a former state representative, in the June 30 primary election.
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