OPINION:
Energy isn’t just a policy issue it’s personal. I decided to run for Congress after visiting miners and power plant operators at the Craig Station coal power plant in northwest Colorado. That power plant long a source of affordable, reliable power for our state is set to close by 2028. It’s not closing because it no longer works. The plant is closing because of misguided environmental policies that ignore the real-world impacts on working families and grid stability. My constituents in this part of Colorado are most worried about losing their jobs and the economic fallout to their communities. But all of us should be worried about Colorado’s energy future: Without a serious replacement, Coloradans can expect higher bills, less reliability, and a more fragile grid.
We’re seeing the same story unfold across Colorado. In Pueblo, the Comanche 3 power plant is now set to shut down by 2031 decades before the end of its useful life. That facility supports more than 150 jobs and powers nearly 65,000 households. Its premature closure doesn’t just threaten the local economy. It undermines regional energy reliability and pushes hidden costs onto everyone else.
When we lose reliable and environmentally responsible baseload power like this, those costs don’t disappear they are passed along to families who pay higher utility bills, to small businesses trying to keep the lights on, and to rural communities at the end of the electric line. This is the hidden tax of bad energy policy: When energy costs rise, the price of everything else housing, food, transportation goes up too. That burden hits working families, rural communities, and small businesses hardest.
But here’s the good news: Colorado’s 3rd District has the resources to lead. Oil. Gas. Uranium. Geothermal. High-quality coal. Rare earths and minerals essential for renewables. We sit atop the ingredients for a resilient, diverse energy future one that powers our homes, supports good-paying jobs, and strengthens America’s position in the world.
Right now, that future is under threat from short-sighted policies, regulatory red tape, and infrastructure bottlenecks. But it doesn’t have to be. We have a chance right now to pursue an energy agenda that strengthens our economy at home and projects stability abroad.
Recently I had a friend ask what it means to support American “energy dominance.” The United States currently leads the world in oil production, he pointed out, so aren’t we already energy dominant? I responded by saying that producing more than others isn’t the same as true energy dominance. The real measure isn’t just what we produce it’s how we use it, export it, and leverage it to strengthen our economy, our national security, and allies abroad. It starts by removing the roadblocks to responsible development. It means minimizing the hidden energy tax that families feel every time they fuel up or turn on the heat. And it means exporting our resources, our know-how, and our leadership to allies around the world who would rather depend on us than on hostile regimes.
In a world of growing uncertainty, American energy should be a stabilizing force. It can lower costs, lift families out of poverty, and give our allies the security they need to stand with us. That’s not a political talking point it’s a strategy for prosperity, strength, and peace.
We have the resources. We have the workers. We just need the political will.
Let’s get to work.
• Rep. Jeff Hurd represents Colorado’s 3rd district, one of the most stunning and diverse regions in the country. He serves on three key House committees: Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space & Technology.
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