GOVERNORS RITTER & SCHWARZENEGGER LAUNCH ECODRIVING CAMPAIGN

DENVER – Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to kick off a new EcoDriving campaign to save consumers money at the pump, reduce fuel use and cut carbon emissions.

 

"The EcoDriving campaign offers easy actions that all of us can take – starting today, right now – to save money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and benefit the environment," Gov. Ritter said. "By adopting EcoDriving tips, we can lower our fuel costs by 15 percent or more. And these are easy, common-sense driving and maintenance tips, like avoiding rapid starts and stops, using cruise control, reducing idling, and knowing when it's best to use your air conditioner."

 

Colorado and California are the first two states to support the consumer awareness campaign, details of which are available at the interactive website www.EcoDrivingUSA.com. Gov. Schwarzenegger appeared at today's news conference at the Colorado Convention Center via a live satellite feed from California.

 

"You can save money and save the environment by driving green," said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "Through EcoDriving, 10 top automakers and the states of California and Colorado have found we share an important commitment, and we commend Gov. Schwarzenegger and Gov. Ritter for their leadership in engaging consumers in green driving." 

 

"Today's automobiles are really computers on wheels, with more than 3,000 interactive parts operating as a complex system," McCurdy added. "The more you know about your machine, the better you can reduce fuel use and CO₂ emissions."

 

With 240 million vehicles on the road in the United States, the benefits of EcoDriving could be significant:

 

·         If just half of all drivers nationwide practiced moderate levels of EcoDriving, annual CO₂ emissions could be reduced by about 100 million tons, or the equivalent of heating and powering 8.5 million households.

 

·         If all Americans practiced EcoDriving, it would be equal to 450 billion miles traveled on our roadways without generating any CO₂emissions.  That's 1,500 CO₂-free miles for every man, woman, and child in the United States each year.

 

Sample EcoDriving practices include: 

 

·         Not tailgating, knowing the proper way to accelerate and brake, using synchronized traffic lights to a driver's advantage, driving at the optimum highway speed, understanding when to use air conditioning and much more.

 

Sample maintenance practices include:

 

·         Knowing which motor oil to use, understanding the importance of proper tire pressure and what affects tire pressure, understanding aerodynamics and much more.

 

In conjunction with the unveiling of EcoDriving, the National Automobile Dealers Association announced that September will be free "Green Check-up Month" nationwide. 

 

The EcoDriving interactive website, www.EcoDrivingUSA.com, will help drivers learn practical tips to improve their mileage and reduce their carbon footprint. The site includes a video guide to EcoDriving, an "EcoCalculator" to determine benefits for individuals or states, a Virtual Road Test and a variety of educational tools.

 

Alliance members hope to engage all 50 states and major consumer organizations in EcoDriving. 

 

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 10 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.

 

GOV. RITTER APPOINTS NEW COLORADO JUDGES

Gov. Bill Ritter today announced the appointments of four new county and district court judges in the 1^st, 5^th and 10^th Judicial Districts.

 

In the 1^st Judicial District, which serves Gilpin and Jefferson counties, Gov. Ritter appointed Bradley Allen Burback of Arvada and K.J. Moore of Littleton as Jefferson County Court judges.

 

Burback has served as a District Court magistrate for the 1^st Judicial District since 2006. He earned his bachelor's degree from ColoradoState University in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1990. He also received his military attorney certificate from the U.S. Naval Justice School in 1991. 

 

Moore has served as a Jefferson County District Court magistrate since 2004. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University ofColorado in 1991 and her J.D. and M.S.L. degrees from Vermont Law School in 1995.  

 

In the 5^th Judicial District, which serves Clear Creek, Eagle, Lake and Summit counties, Gov. Ritter appointed Karen Ann Romeo of Silverthorne as a District Court judge.

 

Romeo has worked in the District Attorney's Office in the 5^th Judicial District since 1997. She is currently the chief deputy and assistant district attorney. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado in 1990 and her law degree from the Thomas M.Cooley School of Law in Michigan in 1996.

 

In the 10^th Judicial District, which serves Pueblo County, Gov. Ritter appointed Deborah Rene Eyler of Pueblo West as a District Court judge. She has served as a District Court magistrate in this district since 2007. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1977 and her law degree in 1981, both from Creighton University. 

 

The appointments are for provisional terms of two years, and then until the second Tuesday in January follow the next general election. Thereafter, if retained by the voters, the term for a District Court judge is six years and four years for a County Court judge. The current salary for a District Court judge is $128,598 and $123,067 for a County Court judge.

 

GOV. RITTER ANNOUNCES MAJOR VESTAS WIND EXPANSION, 1,350 NEW JOBS

Gov. Bill Ritter and Economic Development Director Don Elliman announced today that Denmark-based Vestas will significantly expand its Colorado operations by building two new manufacturing plants in Brighton.

 

The wind-blade production plant and nacelle assembly factory represent a $290 million capital investment and will bring 1,350 new jobs toColorado. 

 

"This expansion reinforces Colorado's standing as a national and international leader in clean, modern energy for the future," Gov. Ritter said. "It puts an exclamation point on our efforts to build a New Energy Economy that adds jobs, takes advantage of Colorado's incredible intellectual capital, secures our energy future and helps end our dependence on foreign oil."

 

Gov. Ritter was joined at this morning's announcement by Brighton Mayor Jan Pawlowski, Laura Brandt from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.; Larry Burkhardt, president/CEO of Upstate Colorado Economic Development; Weld County Commission Chairman Bill Jerke; Regional Transportation District General Manager Cal Marsella; and RTD Board President Lee Kemp.

 

"I've worked most of my professional life putting together business deals," Colorado Economic Development Director Elliman said, "and I have never had the privilege of working with a group of people as professional and conscientious as the people from Vestas. I'm also happy to say that this is not the last time we'll be talking about growth in the New Energy Economy. There is more to come."

 

Vestas opened its first North American manufacturing plant in Windsor earlier this year. The 650-employee facility will produce 1,800 giant wind blades a year.

 

The new Brighton facilities, which should be operational by July 1, 2010, will include:

           

·         A $180 million blade-manufacturing facility that will produce 1,800 blades a year and provide 650 new jobs.

 

·         A $110 million nacelle assembly factory that will produce 1,400 nacelles a year and provide 700 new jobs. Nacelles are the turbine housing units that sit atop the tower and contain key components like the gearbox, generator and transformer. This will be Vestas' largest nacelle assembly factory in the world.

 

·         A Technology and Production Engineering Office.

 

The 178-acre site is located in unincorporated Weld County and will be annexed into Brighton. Vestas is purchasing 112 acres fromBrighton and 66 acres from RTD, which obtained the land from the Union Pacific Railroad.

 

In addition, Vestas intends to build the world's largest tower-manufacturing facility elsewhere in Colorado; the exact location has not yet been announced.

 

All told, Vestas' entire commitment to Colorado represents a nearly $700 million capital investment and 2,450 new jobs.

 

Vestas officials were unable to attend today's news conference. They announced the Brighton project in a financial filing and news release issued early this morning.

 

Explaining why they are significantly expanding their Colorado operations, Vestas officials cited easy access to rail and highways, the state's highly skilled workforce, a favorable business climate, and strong dedication and commitment from state and local leaders to growing Colorado's New Energy Economy.

 

Gov. Ritter said he looks forward to continuing the partnership with Vestas. "Vestas is once again cementing its position as one ofColorado's pioneering partners in the New Energy Economy," he said. "My administration worked closely with Vestas and the many other partners involved in this project to make it a reality.

 

"This is a tremendous boon for all of Colorado," Gov. Ritter added. "It adds momentum to our push to diversify our energy portfolio and build a 21^st century economy based on industries of the future. What we are doing here in Colorado can and should serve as a model for the rest of the country."

 

Ritter, Salazar Cost State "A Cool Billion"

Political Poison Injected By The Two Politicians Led To "The Great Roan Plateau Giveaway" Denver – Colorado lost "a cool billion dollars" in reduced revenues from the Roan Plateau natural gas lease sale today because of the "near constant political poison that Bill Ritter and Ken Salazar injected into this process," according to Greg Schnacke, President of Americans for American Energy. "What we saw today was nothing less than a fire sale, and the people of Colorado got burned," Schnacke said. "I call it the Great Roan Plateau Giveaway." "The results are probably good for the bidders, but the result wasn't anywhere near what it should have been for Colorado taxpayers.  There is a very simple explanation.  The non-stop political attacks on this project by Bill Ritter and Ken Salazar raised the political risk premium of this project to the sky, and bidders reduced their bids accordingly.  That cost our state dearly -- almost certainly one billion dollars." Schnacke said:  "Public documents detail private acreage sales in the same area in the last two years that netted $40,000 to $50,000 per acre. However, these sales did not have the political 'baggage' that the Roan sales today did. That political baggage raised the perceived risk to such an extent that companies reduced their bids dramatically. "There is no hocus-pocus to estimating Colorado's loss today.  It's pretty simple arithmetic.  Ken Salazar and Bill Ritter cost Colorado a cool billion dollars today." "The cold hard truth is that the political poison that these two injected into the debate got them some headlines in the press but cost our state hundreds and hundreds of of millions of dollars," Schnacke said. "It is all about perceived political risk and how that devalues a project like this," said Schnacke. "A company looks long and hard at an investment that carries with it the risk of a state's Governor or Senator trying to delay and stop the project.  It just isn't worth as much." "Bill Ritter and Ken Salazar gave away the store today and it cost Colorado a cool billion dollars."

GOV. RITTER TO ANNOUNCE MAJOR EXPANSION OF VESTAS WIND OPERATIONS IN COLORADO

At 10 a.m. today, Gov. Bill Ritter, Don Elliman, director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and other officials will be announcing a major expansion of Denmark-based Vestas' manufacturing operations in Colorado. Vestas currently produces giant wind blades at a 650-employee facility in Windsor.

 

WHO: Gov. Ritter, Economic Development Director Don Elliman and others.

 

WHAT:  Press conference to announce more than 1,000 new Vestas jobs at new facilities in Colorado.

 

WHERE: West Foyer, State Capitol.

 

WHEN: 10 a.m. today (Friday, Aug. 15, 2008).

 

 

GOV. RITTER STATEMENT ON TODAY'S ROAN AUCTION

 

Gov. Bill Ritter issued the following statement criticizing today's auctioning of more than 55,000 acres on the Roan Plateau by the Bush Administration's Bureau of Land Management:

 

"For more than a year, the oil and gas industry and some politicians have claimed that a Roan Plateau lease sale would generate proceeds of up to $2 billion. Today, we learned just how wrong and over-exaggerated those claims were.

 

"Today is a sad day for Colorado. It's a missed opportunity – one we will never get back, one that falls squarely on the shoulders of the Bush Administration, which is rushing through bad fiscal policy in its waning days. The BLM's decision to lease the entire top of the Roan Plateau all at once has severely shortchanged Colorado citizens. The federal government has done a tremendous disservice to our state and to every Western Slope community impacted by drilling.

 

"It's a missed opportunity to help local communities address impacts to roads, schools, water supplies and essential services. It's a missed opportunity for Colorado universities and Colorado college students. It's a missed opportunity for every community trying to create sustainable economies and sustainable futures for their children, residents and local businesses.

 

"Late last year, my Administration proposed a phased leasing strategy that would have maximized the value of the natural-gas resource beneath the Roan over a longer period of time. We reiterated the phased leasing approach in a protest filed with the BLM last month. We warned that an all-at-once lease sale would result in vastly undervalued bids. Unfortunately, those predictions turned out to be true.

 

"Phased leasing would have resulted in substantially higher bids for two reasons. First, phased leasing would have allowed the state to receive higher revenues as the price of natural gas increased. Second, phased leasing would have allowed each ridge to recognize its present value, without the deep discount we saw today reflecting the fact that certain parcels will not be developed for many years to come.

 

"I remain committed to responsible energy development in Colorado. We are doing our part, and we will continue to do our part to supplyAmerica's energy needs. By the end of this year, we will have issued more than 7,000 new drilling permits, compared with 1,000 issued in 1999. But the fact remains -- today's auction was anything but responsible."

 

 

GOV. RITTER TO DISCUSS ROAN PLATEAU LEASE SALE AT 3:30 P.M. TODAY

Gov. Ritter will hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. today in the West Foyer of the State Capitol to discuss this morning's Roan Plateau lease sale.

 

WHAT: Roan Plateau news conference

 

WHO: Gov. Ritter and Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Harris Sherman

 

WHEN: 3:30 p.m. today (Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008)

 

WHERE: West Foyer, State Capitol