Gubernatorial candidates address conservation issues

Several conservation, sportsmen and wildlife groups in Colorado asked the state’s three gubernatorial candidates, Democrat John Hickenlooper, Republican Dan Maes and American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo, nine questions covering a number of issues specifically relating to the economy, wildlife, land, water and energy. Maes did not return the questionnaire.

The candidates’ responses were published today in a special report (pdf) sent to members of participating groups, which include Audubon Colorado, Colorado Wildlife Federation, Colorado Trout Unlimited, Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts and Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center . Together these organizations have a combined mailing list of about 40,000.

“I do not subscribe to the belief that clean energy costs more; in fact, I believe that clean energy costs less in the long run,” said Tancredo. “Developing a sustainable energy policy means addressing the needs of today while developing a plan for tomorrow that is sustainable and that will meet the needs of a growing state without putting additional stress on our environment. We cannot sacrifice our natural health and welfare for short-term energy development.”

Hickenlooper’s own comments on renewable energy were actually somewhat similar: “Support for renewable energy, balanced with responsible development of natural gas can make for a more predictable and sustainable energy market. Focusing on the economic and health benefits of clean energy makes enormous sense, because the negative impacts of dirty emissions are not only harmful to public health, they are costly.”

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