Candidates for Colorado's Second Congressional District will square off March 18 at the University of Colorado at Boulder Wolf Law Building in a debate over what the United States should do to achieve energy security and halt global warming.
Sponsored by the Law School's Center for Energy and Environmental Security, the debate will be held in the Wittemyer Courtroom from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Participants include Democrats Joan Fitz-Gerald, Jared Polis and Will Shafroth. Currently, no Republican candidates are in the race. U.S. Representative Mark Udall, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate, represents the Second Congressional District.
Climate change and renewable energy are among the most pressing issues facing decision-makers today, and in the coming years Congress will make critical decisions regarding climate change and energy security legislation, said Kevin Doran, a research fellow with the center. The next representative for Second Congressional District will thus play an important role in determining the future of our nation and state.
Fitz-Gerald was elected to the Colorado Senate in 2000, gaining the minority leader position in 2002. In 2005 and again in 2006 she was elected president of the Colorado Senate, the first woman ever to hold the position. She co-sponsored Senate Bill 100, which helps to increase the reliability of electrical power by identifying the best areas for renewable energy production. It also encourages utilities to build transmission lines to connect renewable energy sites to Colorados power grid in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
Polis co-founded his first company, American Information Systems, while still in college. In 2000, Polis was elected to the Colorado Board of Education, where he has been a strong advocate of school reform and enhancing educational opportunities.
Will Shafroth was hired in 1994 as the first executive director of Great Outdoors Colorado. During the past six years, Shafroth has worked to establish the Colorado Conservation Trust, a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, river corridors and community open space.
During the debate, the audience will have the opportunity to submit written questions to the moderator for consideration. Questions may also be submitted in advance by emailing them to cees@colorado.edu.
For more information, go to the centers Web site at www.colorado.edu/law/eesi/.