KATALINA VILLARREAL: Colorado’s District 8 comprises ten counties in the state’s upper Western Slope, a mix including several dependent on energy development and others dependent on tourism from outdoor resorts. Candidates were asked how they would balance making energy development affordable and reliable while protecting the environment. Republican Corey Marshall came down firmly on the side of energy extraction.
COREY MARSHALL: Far too long we've been putting the environment fully in front of the well-being of the citizens of Senate District 8. We've seen what's happened very recently with the shutdown of our industries; whether it's the power plants, coal mines, our natural gas and oil industries. That's all being shut down because of the environment.
VILLARREAL: The incumbent Democrat from Summit County countered Marshall’s zero-sum stance while acknowledging the importance of resource extraction in parts of western Colorado.
DYLAN ROBERTS: We can do both. We can protect our environment that we cherish and value as one of the main reasons why we all live out here in Western Colorado, and we can have a safe, reliable energy future. This district includes communities like Craig and Hayden and Rio Blanco County and Garfield County, where energy development is part of our heritage, and it's part of our economy.
VILLARREAL: The revenue from mineral and energy fuels production during the 2024 to 2025 period brought in close to 20 billion dollars, estimates the Colorado Geological Survey. According to the Colorado Tourism Office, last year tourism contributed even more, with a record total estimate of more than 29 billion.
VILLARREAL: The six remaining coal-fired plants in Colorado are to close by 2031 and be replaced with renewable and gas-fired generation to meet the state’s clean air and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Marshall said that he cares about the environment, but not when it hurts citizens. He leans against regulations and transitions away from fossil fuels, such as the state’s plan to close coal-fired plants, including the Craig power plant.
MARSHALL: We need to have long-term plans that are reasonable. We need to have alternatives that are economically viable, and we need to make sure that the plan sets forward how we get there. When we create these programs that have happened and these shutdowns, we end up with costs that the citizens have to pay for, and they pay for it out of their property taxes. They pay for it out of fees. They pay for it out of increased utility costs, and those are the things that have to stop.
VILLARREAL: It is unclear what specific environmental protection policies are causing citizens to pay higher property taxes. There is evidence of increased utility costs due to new building codes from the Clean Heat Plan. Colorado has been implementing rollouts, phaseouts, and decarbonization targets in alignment with state climate goals. The Craig Generating Station Unit 1 facility was to permanently close last December; however, the Trump administration overrode that timeline based on the claim of an emergency need for electricity.
VILLARREAL: Craig Unit 1 was closing to comply with clean air regulations, Tri-State said in a statement. Also, on Dec. 19, it suffered a mechanical failure in a valve that shut down the plant. Incumbent Roberts has shown himself to be a moderate democrat who has pushed back against his own party at times. He noted how complicated energy development transitioning is.
ROBERTS: It's important to have a senator who will fight back sometimes, and that's what I've done. When the legislature tried to use Craig as a political football this past year because President Trump ordered the coal plant to start back up again, I voted against my own party and advocated strongly against a bill that would have made it harder for those coal plants and those jobs to stay in place. I fought for a bill that put nuclear energy on our list of energy sources that are carbon-free so that we can meet our carbon emission goals while exploring new alternative energy development. And we can seize this as an opportunity. You're seeing communities like Hayden and Craig seize the transition as an opportunity: bringing new industries into the communities, diversifying their economy, creating new jobs, and keeping those communities a place where people can live and work.
