(CNSNews.com) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told “CNN This Morning” on Friday that President Biden’s prediction that we’ll “need oil for at least another decade” before the nation eliminates the need for fossil fuels is a “good way to talk about it.”
“The truth is we're rapidly weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels. Is there demand for oil in 10 years? There will be. There’ll probably be some demand in 20 years. In Colorado, our goal is 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. I think we’ll reach it. We’ll be at 80 percent by 2030,” the governor said.
“Already in Colorado, about 12 percent of cars sold are electric vehicles, but yes, oil and gas are international commodities. There’s likely to continue to be a market for it in 10 years, probably in 20 years. If you’re asking me, 30 or 40, I think we'll largely be off the fossil fuels with lower costs, more reliable renewable energy,” he said.
Polis said that the White House has been “very attentive to the need to keep gas prices low, releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.”
“They're working on where and how we can drill safely in Colorado. We've been upping the bar on reducing emissions around the oil extraction process even more. So I think it's very important, because you know, when people pay for gas, for heating, for electricity, it really hits their bottom line,” he said.
“Colorado consumers, just like across the country, have had a spike in natural gas prices the last few months. They're finally coming down now. What we want to make ourselves immune to that in the future by weaning ourselves off natural gas which can always double, triple, quadruple in price when there’s external events like a war in Europe,” the governor said.
Speaking on his affordable housing plan, Polis said, “Colorado is a great place to live. That’s the good news. The bad news is the secret is out and so demand has skyrocketed in not just Colorado, many other states as well that people are moving to because they are great places to live.
“That's pushed the average home price up. So what do we need to do? We need to make sure we have more quantity of housing, but not just anywhere, right? We can't just have this exorbitant sprawl, more traffic on the roads, worse air quality, not sustainable from a water perspective,” the governor said.
“We need housing near transit, oriented development and near where the jobs are so people can get to work without having to have a lot of traffic. So we're really looking at a thoughtful approach to land use that is sustainable, that saves water and provides affordable units for rent and for purchase for new Coloradans as well as Coloradans who have been here for generations,” he said.
On Biden’s plan to run for re-election, the governor said Biden showed what a “master” he is when he baited Republicans by accusing them of trying to cut Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union speech.
“I think we all think the president is planning to rollout a very exciting reelection campaign. He certainly did great. He reminded of us of the master is when he took it to the Republicans and really went off-script and said we got a deal here,” Polis said.
“You're agreeing not to do something namely cut Social Security and Medicare that Republicans have been talking about for decades. That really put them on the spot, very effective. This man is a pro, and we look forward to his plans,” he said.
When asked if he plans to support the president if he runs for re-election, Polis said, “He'll have widespread support. I'll certainly do the best that I can to make sure that we deliver the state of Colorado as we did four years ago for the president. What a historic three years so far, of course the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Act.
“A lot of the work that we're able to get done at the state level, these record investments in public health, investments in reducing homelessness and public safety. These are transformational investments that we're able to do because of the Americans Rescue Act. The president doesn't always get all the credit, but know that the work that the governors are doing on the ground, even Republican governors, a lot of those resources are thanks to President Biden,” he said.
As to what he makes of a potential matchup again between Biden and former President Donald Trump, Polis said, “Well, President Biden has shown one time he can defeat President trump, and I know he'll show it again. I think that President Trump is really a threat to the democracy.
“Beyond the issues that we face, he has shown such little regard for the truth, for the integrity of the elections. Above and beyond the issues that people quarrel over, I think that’s an additional reason that’s particularly important to make sure that he never returns to the Oval Office,” the governor said.