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05/05/2008 08:02 AM
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Colorado Ballot Proposal Would Tax Electricity to Create Clean Energy Fund
SustainableBusiness.com News
An activist group in Colorado, called Clean Energy Progress, is proposing a ballot measure for November 2008 that will allow the state's citizens to decide whether or not to raise millions of dollars for clean energy development.
The Clean Energy Progress Fund aims to raise $180 million a year to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and agricultural soil carbon sequestration in Colorado, by passing a 3% tax on natural gas and electricity.
Clean Energy progress, said the plan--if passed--would cost the average Colorado household about $2.50 a month, but would lead to a three-to-one return on investment through energy efficiency that will be worth roughly $600 million per year.
Some of the funds would be used for home energy audits, which could help families recoup the $2.50 month feed, according to the group's website.
Other investments made by the Fund would reduce Colorado's global warming pollution by about 20%, in addition to the 20% proposed in the Colorado Climate Action Plan, the group said.
A statewide poll commissioned by Clean Energy Progress in December showed 62% of likely Colorado voters, including a majority of Republican women, would support the proposal. Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart has also endorsed the proposal.
Website: http://www.cleanenergyprogress.org/Clean_Energy_Progress/Home.html
