Nuclear the obvious answer to Colorado’s energy math problem

By Jon Caldara

Slowly, very slowly, Colorado environmentalists are learning basic math.

Simple math is a wickedly dangerous thing. I strongly recommend you never learn it.

Those fool enough to play around with basic math realize our lawmakers have painted us into an energy-starved corner that will, quite literally, kill people in the not-so-distant future.

Oh, and for God’s sake, if you were abused as a child and forced math against your will, never, ever look at the national debt. Hopefully, someday we will have commonsense math control with a 3-day “cooling off” period before people can add up the costs of unfunded mandates like Social Security and Medicare.

And, if you witness the violent abuse of a child being taught fractions or ratios, call Child Protective Services, or else that kid might never become a successful politician.

Colorado’s energy math problem

The lawmakers who pushed to shutter all coal-powered plants in Colorado in just five years are beginning to see some obvious realities. Coal provides a third of our state’s energy. (Note to any legislator reading this, a third is a fraction. Please stop reading).

So, unless we replace that third of our energy production right away, in five years we’re going to have rolling blackouts. Many people who need electricity to stay alive, such as the elderly and disabled, will die.

But wait — there’s more. Our governor demands the state completely use “all-renewable energy” by 2040. But another third of our power today comes from natural gas. So, soon enough, two-thirds of our power supply will be turned off.

And just for giggles, these same people are passing laws and regulations to mandate everything currently powered by oil and gas be turned electric. Goodbye gas stoves, water heaters, furnaces and cars; hello all-electric, all-expensive everything. And the coming AI revolution, with its power-hungry data centers, will eat more electricity than ever.

Utility companies like Xcel are saying all this could cause electricity demand to quadruple by 2050. Quadruple is math talk for we’re going to need four times more electricity than we’re using today (that’s before we turn most of it off).

Remember how you hated math word problems: How do we get four times more energy we can afford after destroying two-thirds of our current reliable, affordable energy production? Solve for X.

And I know what you’re thinking. But sorry, even Gov. Jared Polis’ energy experts agree green energy like wind and solar won’t come close to filling the gap because … math sucks.

The answer is obviously nuclear

There is only one answer to this coming power apocalypse, and lawmakers might finally be realizing it.

My friend and colleague at Independence Institute, Amy Cooke, has been leading the fight to bring nuclear energy to Colorado for well more than a decade. Many called it a fool’s errand as she, with our Energy and Environment Policy Center, brought together an unlikely coalition of climate-crazed environmentalists and energy-thirsty businessmen to make 2025 the year nuclear could become possible in Colorado.

She explains it perfectly by showing the political challenge as a Venn diagram. One circle contains the enviros for whom climate change is paramount. The other circle represents the cruel people like me for whom cost and reliability, so people don’t die, is paramount.

Where those two circles meet is nuclear energy, the cleanest form of energy and, over time, the least costly.

More and more environmentalists, the ones afflicted with basic math skills, are realizing our current energy path is stampeding off a cliff. If the climate is the goal, then nuclear energy is the only answer.

Likewise, businessmen can see the math even as Coloradans vote for fossil fuel-hating lawmakers. If cost and reliability is the goal, then nuclear energy is the only answer.

Enter House Bill 1040. This simple bill does one thing. It states the obvious: Nuclear energy is clean energy. Given that it doesn’t emit any gases, that’s hard to argue.

By officially labeling it as “clean energy,” nuclear could get Colorado to zero-emission power.

Variations of this bill have been tried, only to be killed in committee. What’s different this year is it has bipartisan sponsors from both rural and urban areas.

Not only is it a marvel some enviro legislators are learning math, but it’s also a miracle this legislature might take a positive step toward reliable, affordable and clean power.

But still, really, math sucks. Just say no.