As we steam toward the November election, the next area of particular interest I have for our Colorado candidates is around industry, or, more specifically, the protection of our industries and the harvesting of our innovation.
I’ve certainly remarked in the recent past around the wars on energy and the buying-up of 1% (and growing) of our Colorado lands by foreign interests, but as more and more of Colorado is being consumed by growth, it seems timely to talk more about what we should re-focus some of our thinking around: Preserving industries that are fundamental to our Colorado heritage … and future.
Which industries am I most focused on protecting? The list is really quite small in number, yet broad in scope:
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Tourism
- Technology
Industry importance is measured differently by different groups; some base value on jobs, others on contribution to GDP, and others still by contribution to the State budget. I will factor all of these, and also focus on overall impacts (positive and negative).
Agriculture: Current government leadership seems to not care much about Colorado agriculture. We see that in water right disputes, in land being sold off to developers, to climate activists going after farm equipment and livestock, etc. But keep in mind that agriculture contributes over $47 billion to our Colorado economy, and that sector imports to over 130 countries. Livestock is the largest contributor to that bottom line, incidentally, which puts Colorado high on the bovine flatulence rankings with the eco-crowd, I’m sure.
What do we need to do with this sector? First, we draw down our population growth rates. We don’t have the water to support it and what we do have we are funneling away from agriculture. Next, we do not allow foreign interests to own majority interests in farms or any supporting industries. And finally, we make it a key priority to look for innovations in the industry by encouraging our education systems to not only bring more people back into the industry, but also to innovate and lead the nation on making farms more sustainable and more productive (e.g., aeroponics). And – we work hard to keep farms and ranches in the families that started and have run them. I’m a bit old-fashioned like that. These are massive educational opportunities for new generations that we are totally ignoring.
Energy: Yes, we as a state and nation are at war with fossil fuels. The goal to leave fossil fuels is sound; the strategy being employed to get there is beyond ridiculous. We have severely cut back on exploration and investment, we’ve regulated what is still left into a point of no return, and we’ve cut over 250,000 jobs in the industry and supporting sectors as a result – just in Colorado. Up till recently, Colorado was the 7th largest energy producer in the states, with nearly $20 billion produced annually.
We need to drive aggressively forward on oil and natural gas exploration and extraction, and part of that money needs to be plowed into cleaner-burning technologies (power plants, for instance) while we also plow the rest of that money into R&D for newer, more sustainable fuels and sources. But the transition needs planning and timelines that aren’t set for sometime next week or next year.
Conoco, years ago, started building an advanced energy research facility at the old Storage Tech campus in Louisville, CO. Then they abandoned it. But we need to bring all of that back – and I’d like to see that in Douglas County. Colorado needs to lead the way in energy innovation. Hydrogen research; public-private partnerships with utilities like CORE Electric to build natural gas and nuclear power generation, more STEM programs in High School and Community Colleges to grow minds in applied technology even faster, and other bold paths to again set Colorado atop the innovation curve. This should be our goal.
Tourism: This one is easier in goals, but challenging in implementation. How do we get visitors to destinations (arguably 95% are into the mountains) quickly, sustainably, and without severely impacting our infrastructure or overloading destinations? We need to build on this industry, as it pours billions into our economy annually (and not just during ski season). Building, however, requires taking bold steps to connect transportation hubs (e.g., airports) with tourism destinations. How do you connect DIA to Summit County? Eagle County? Grand County? Estes Park? Steamboat? Telluride? Based on the number of SUVs at DIA rental lots, not all tourists fly straight to Eagle, Steamboat, or Telluride. By the way: DIA is the 7th busiest airport in the world. And it’s growing (17th in 2019). Tourism in Colorado needs to be further developed, with an emphasis on efficient movement to destinations and a management of load capacities.
Technology: This topic is already intermixed with the previous 3 topics above. However, as an overall goal for the state, we need to pour significant resources into technology education, and attraction of technology innovators into Colorado. There is a reason the SERI (Solar Energy Research Institute) and NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratories) are located here, in the Denver metroplex.
What should we do in this sector? Simple. First, look again at our demographics. We have tens of thousands of young minds, often in lower economic environments, that are untapped. We need to build public-private partnerships to get to those kids and bring education in these areas to them. We need two-year community college programs to make these kids ready to join the technology workforce and innovate – with those partners. In agriculture, why aren’t we greatly expanding our research and facilities to explore vertical farming? In energy, why aren’t we finding ways to improve clean-coal capabilities and costs? Why aren’t we investing heavily into hydro-power generation innovations, so we can create more power with less water? In robotics, let’s take the next steps in advancing medical technologies. All of that can be spawned from right here, in Colorado, at an even faster rate.
This post has been a mouthful, I know. But think of how we embrace, not battle, our key Colorado industries by leveraging the potential we have in innovation and the minds of our youth… Why isn’t Colorado leading that charge?
