This opinion piece from TWW’s Greg Brophy originally was published in The Colorado Sun on August 4th and can be accessed here.
Colorado needs smarter permitting to meet our state’s energy needs, and Gov. Polis can make a difference quickly
If Colorado joins the federal FAST-41 initiative, it would show the state is serious about building major infrastructure projects with a more coordinated timeline
By Greg Brophy
In this era of polarized national politics, the governors of Western states have still found ways to work together on a host of issues — especially energy.
Just last month, the bipartisan Western Governors’ Association, or WGA, issued a landmark report on the region’s rapidly expanding energy demands and what it will take to meet those demands.
In short, the WGA calls for a policy of “energy superabundance” that harnesses all of the region’s resources — from wind and solar, to oil and natural gas, to geothermal, nuclear, and more — to keep the lights on and the economy moving.
“Today, the West, like the rest of the world, is headed towards an energy deficit due to increased power demand and decreasing supply,” Utah Governor and WGA Chair Spencer Cox said in the report. “The harsh reality is that we need significantly more power to meet current and future energy needs.”
Cox, a Republican, was joined by a number of other Western leaders — including Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis — in developing the energy superabundance report.
During an October workshop in Denver, Polis drew attention to the permitting bottlenecks that dramatically slow down the construction of new power transmission lines.
In Colorado alone, Western power grid officials are projecting a 45% increase in electricity demand by 2035, which will require almost 1,000 miles of new transmission lines to connect the places where power is generated to the communities where power is consumed.
“We want a lower cost grid, we want a more resilient and reliable grid, and transmission is absolutely critical to achieve that,” Polis said. “My fellow governors and I are committed to working together to find practical and bipartisan solutions that can improve the grid and expand transmission infrastructure to truly achieve energy superabundance.”
To be clear: As a former Republican state legislator from the Eastern Plains, I disagree with Polis on many issues, including in energy policy.
But on this point, he’s right, and there’s more action he can take that will make all Coloradans better off, no matter what kind of energy sources they favor.
Specifically, Polis should join Cox in a bipartisan permitting initiative called FAST-41.
This initiative was established by Congress in 2015 with broad bipartisan support (including then-Congressman Polis) and signed into law by President Barack Obama. It’s a process coordination tool for major infrastructure projects.
When an eligible project enrolls, it gets a single permitting schedule coordinated across all relevant federal agencies, posted publicly online so everyone can see exactly where things stand.
A lead agency quarterbacks the process, dedicated staff are assigned to each project, and if agencies can’t agree on a timetable, there’s a dispute resolution process to keep things moving. Accountability is built into the system.
The catch, for years, was that FAST-41 fixed federal coordination but could not do much about state permitting running on a completely separate clock. But now that’s changing.
Earlier this year, Cox signed an agreement with the Trump administration to coordinate federal and state permitting timelines for major infrastructure projects through the FAST-41 program. The agreement will help federal and state officials “move projects from idea to reality” faster by providing “greater transparency, coordination and predictability,” the Utah governor said.
So far, five states have signed FAST-41 agreements. Colorado should be the sixth.
Obviously, this will take some political courage, since supporters of Polis and President Donald Trump have a long list of strong disagreements.
But when you focus on substance rather than politics, Colorado’s participation in FAST-41 just makes good sense.
To be clear: FAST-41 is about timelines, not outcomes. It doesn’t weaken any environmental review. It doesn’t guarantee approval for any project. Under a FAST-41 agreement with the federal government, Colorado would retain sole authority over its permitting decisions.
For this reason, when President Joe Biden was in the White House, his advisors also sang the praises of FAST-41, actively encouraging federal agencies and project developers to use the program.
“Communities and project proponents all benefit from having clear information about the schedules, key milestones and deadlines” related to the permitting process, the Biden-Harris Permitting Action Plan stated.
Polis signing a FAST-41 agreement would show that Colorado is serious about building, not just planning or setting goals. It would demonstrate the state’s energy ambitions are backed by actions.
Polis and Cox have a long history of working together. They’ve even tried to fight the tide of polarization in our country directly by urging Americans from across the spectrum to “disagree better.”
Making real progress on the energy challenges facing the West, by bringing more transparency and accountability to federal and state permitting, should be the next challenge these leaders work together on.
Greg Brophy, of Wray, is a farmer, former state senator and the Colorado director of The Western Way.