Energy & Environment

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the rule and the underlying bill, the Northern Route Approval Act. In the words of Yogi Berra, it's deja vu all over again here in the House of Representatives. Last week, the House of Representatives repealed the Affordable Care Act for the 37th time. This week, for the eighth time in 2 1/2 years, we're voting yet again on another Keystone pipeline measure that will never become law. The very decision to sign this law would lie with the same President ... Read more

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleagues, Ms. Chu from California and Mr. Connolly from Virginia. This amendment would require that the Government Accountability Office, which is independent, evaluate the true cost of potential spills from the Keystone XL pipeline. Americans want to know. We want to know what the impact of tar sands spills are on public health, on the environment, on the quantity and quality of water that's available for agriculture and farmers and for municipalities and f... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis, Vice Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, commends the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for releasing its updated draft rules for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) on public lands. Read more

Does living in Colorado -- even on the urbanized Front Range -- mean you have to put up with an industrial process next door? Is the production of natural gas and oil so important that it trumps our time-honored tradition of local control and zoning? Read more

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) today introduced the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act; legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clearly label genetically engineered (GE) foods so that consumers can make informed choices about what they eat. This bill was also introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CO) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Read more

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) voted today in support of the Senate-passed Continuing Resolution (CR), which will include $65 million for Emergency Watershed Protection funds. The bill passed the House of Representatives today by 318 to 109. Read more

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) have introduced the Bringing Reductions to Energy’s Airborne Toxic Health Effect (BREATHE) Act, and the Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydraulic Environmental Regulation (FRESHER) Act, in order to ensure that the hydraulic fracking industry follows the same rules that other industries do in preserving our natural resources. This legislation is focused on ensuring the safety and the health of the communities where the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process is already taking place. Read more

Congressman Jared Polis expressed his excitement that the House of Representatives spending bill will include emergency funds to help Colorado communities recover from last year’s historic fire season and prevent flooding as part of H.R. 933, the Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013. Read more

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise before this body of Congress and this nation today to recognize Mr. Peter Runyon of Edwards, Colorado. Peter has just stepped down as a two-term county commissioner for the great county of Eagle, Colorado. Being a commissioner in one of the country's premier resort communities has its challenges, but Peter approached the job with integrity and passion. He served his citizens with a steadfast commitment to making the place they call home a better pl... Read more

I want to thank the Commission for the opportunity to comment on its draft setback rules. I am testifying today because the outcome of this rulemaking is extremely important to the people I represent in the second congressional district of Colorado. My testimony addresses two issues: (1) buffer zones; and (2) local government controls. Buffer Zones Developing our oil and natural gas resources is an important part of our nation’s energy and economic future but we need to make sure operators are d... Read more