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Rep. Boebert Scores Energy Victory on Natural Resources Committee

May 6, 2021

Yesterday, Representative Lauren Boebert (CO-03) scored a legislative victory when two of her amendments were unanimously passed through the bipartisan Natural Resources Committee.

Representative Boebert stated: “I am proud to put people above politics by getting two bipartisan amendments to H.R. 1506 through the Natural Resources Committee. These amendments will help the people in my District by requiring the government to study the risk that wildfires pose to critical energy infrastructure and note the harmful environmental impacts of shifting over to renewable energy too quickly. These amendments are steps in the right direction for energy independence and for active forest management based on scientific wildfire mitigation strategies.”

Background

Amendment 1 – Environmental Review of Renewable Energy Disposal

Rep. Boebert’s first amendment to H.R. 1506 would require the government to study “the environmental impacts of the decommissioning and disposal of renewable energy products and electronic waste, including batteries, solar panels, and products that have exceeded their life cycle.”

Wind turbines and solar panels only have a lifespan of about 10 to 25 years, and once they break down, their disposal process is harmful to the environment. For example, one of the “solutions” to dispose of windmills is to burry them in abandoned coal mines—not exactly a sustainable and environmentally friendly practice. Additionally, after solar panels are disposed of, they leak lead and carcinogenic cadmium into the soil.

Both wind and solar power depend on battery storage since they are not consistent producers of energy. The extensive lithium mining necessary to produce batteries is harmful for the environment and pollutes millions of gallons of water per year.

Rep. Boebert’s bipartisan amendment directs the Department of the Interior to do more research on renewable energy decommissioning and disposal before diving headfirst into radical Green New Deal policies that would decimate our energy industry. 

Amendment 2 – Active Forest Management to Protect Energy Infrastructure

Rep. Boebert’s second bipartisan amendment would require the Department of the Interior to identify wildfire risks to energy infrastructure and utility rights of way on public lands.

Colorado just went through one of the worst wildfire seasons in its recorded history, further decimating small businesses that were already hurting due to the coronavirus pandemic. This bipartisan amendment moves the needle towards scientific forest management that reduces the risk of wildfires, and especially reduces the risks to our critical energy infrastructure.

Rep. Boebert’s amendment is a responsible, bipartisan, and scientific approach to wildfire risk management, and it helps protect critical energy infrastructure during times of crisis.