Energy & Environment

U.S. Representatives Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Jared Polis (CO-2) introduced today the “Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act” that would identify and protect wildlife corridors on public and private lands. These corridors are needed to give wildlife the room they need to roam as they seek new habitat in response to climate change. The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act comes on the heels of an April 16th Presidential Memorandum that defines a 21st century strategy for preserving America’s Great Outd... Read more

In celebration of Earth Day, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) applauded the announcement of $25 million in Recovery Act funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative, for the “Two Techs and a Truck” retrofit program in Boulder County. “Increasing energy efficiency is the easiest way for individuals to personally make a difference in the global fight against climate change,” said Polis. “These funds will create a “one-stop-shop” for residents to retrofit their homes and b... Read more

Boulder resident Bo Fellinger is disgusted. She recently discovered that the Department of Labor yet again denied her husband Michael’s claim to compensation for chronic lung disease. Fellinger doesn’t have a good word to say about the department or its Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICPA). Her husband, a former nuclear worker at the Ames Laboratory in Iowa, died of lung failure in 2008 at age 62, his claim shuttled back and forth among bureaucrats for nearly four... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) released today an initial schedule of events for public review of the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal. The “Hidden Gems Coalition” recently submitted to the Congressman a formal proposal for new designated wilderness areas in the White River National Forest within Summit and Eagle Counties. Polis is asking all stakeholders for their input and full participation in an extensive public review process. “After receiving the coalition’s proposal, we now need the help of... Read more

Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, with Congressmen Ed Perlmutter and Jared Polis, repeated their call for Congress to pass the Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act, to help Cold War workers from Rocky Flats and other nuclear weapons facilities get help for cancer and other illnesses they developed as a result of exposure to radiation and other hazardous substances on the job. The bill is named for Charlie Wolf, a former worker at Rocky Flats, who fought for years – unsuccessfully – to get... Read more

Today, the Colorado Congressional Delegation highlighted the President’s decision to move forward with a modified Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle project which is being built primarily in Jefferson County, Colorado. This project is important to the state of Colorado and provides about 4,000 jobs in the Denver area through Lockheed Martin and other aerospace contractors. The program supports scores of large and small businesses and brings billions of dollars to our state. In response to the Presid... Read more

Floor Statement Supporting H.R. 3644 – The Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) March 19, 2010 Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying bills, the Ocean, Coastal and Watershed Education Act and the Public Land Service Corps Act. The programs within both of these bills benefit districts all across our Nation, from Florida to Alaska, Texas to Minnesota and Colorado. So it is no surprise that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle a... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) released the following statement today in response to the commencement of the first phases of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s research study to investigate the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health. "I applaud the EPA’s announcement to actively study the effects of hydraulic fracturing on our nation’s water supply. This is an issue that affects communities in my district in Colorado and natio... Read more

Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) joined members of the U.S. 36 Coalition and state transportation officials to highlight the successful impact of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including the recently announced $10 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant for the U.S. 36 Corridor project between Denver and Boulder. U.S. 36 was one of 51 projects selected across the nation to receive funding, d... Read more

Rep. Jared Polis Floor Statement in Support of H.R. 2314, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 February 23, 2010 Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Rahall and the hardworking staff of the Natural Resources Committee for their dedication to the health and welfare of the many native peoples of this country and particularly for their work on this important legislation. I also want to thank my colleagues from Hawaii, Congressman Abercrombie and Congresswoman Hirono, for bri... Read more