Congressman Gabe Evans tours Northern Colorado energy facilities to share information with Congress
Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republican serving the 8th Congressional District of Colorado, spent his day Thursday touring energy production facilities across Weld County. The Northern Colorado county is the fourth largest producer of energy in the United States.
Evans is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, a committee that doesn't commonly feature freshman lawmakers. However, Evans was selected and serves in the subcommittees for energy, environment, commerce, manufacturing and trade.
Given his district spans from just north of Denver all the way north into Greeley, some may argue the 8th District is the perfect position for someone to be on such a committee.
"Oil and gas, wind, solar, geothermal ... those are all home right here in Weld County," Evans said.
On Thursday afternoon Evans' team invited CBS News Colorado's Dillon Thomas on his tour of Northern Colorado energy production facilities.
"I represent a huge portion of Weld County, which is an all-of-the-above leader in energy," Evans said.
Evans started his tour at Bayswater Hugenberg Oil and Gas Site, an oil and gas facility on the edge of Greeley. There, he was not only shown how the facility operates but was also given the opportunity to ask employees about their work and the resources needed to complete it.
Weld County is one of the fastest growing regions in Colorado, as Northern Colorado's population is expected to double in the next 20 years.
"We know the data. In the next 10 years this part of Weld County is going to need three times as much energy on the grid as there is today," Evans said.
The Trump administration campaigned on creating more oil and drilling opportunities and has moved to make good on that promise since January.
Evans said he wanted to tour Weld County's energy resources as a way to learn from one of the nation's greatest providers and then take that information to Washington D.C.
"So we can make sure we are creating good policy in Congress to have an above all safe and affordable secure energy supply," Evans said. "To bring down costs for the consumer and bring jobs back to the United States. That is what it is all about."
Evans then traveled to LaSalle to tour a community solar project owned by Pivot Energy.
"Our economy runs on electricity, and there is so much demand for it right now," said Tom Hunt, CEO of Pivot Energy.
In a county known for oil and gas production, Hunt said he wanted to showcase how modern solar technologies can be beneficial for more than just the provider.
At many of the solar farms owned by Pivot Energy the original landowners still maintain ownership and lease their property out. Then, in some situations, local farmers and agriculture workers are able to work the land beneath the solar panels.
"We are putting a lot of property taxes into Weld County. We are providing reliable energy to the grid," Hunt said. "It provides the best of all those worlds when we build those projects here."
"This is really the first big solar tour I've done," Evans said. "So, really (I had) just a lot of logistical questions about how it works, where the materials come from, how the electricity gets to the grid and where in the grid it goes."
Evans finished his tour by visiting a wind turbine facility, where he learned about how Colorado companies and workers are helping lead the way in new wind energy technologies.
"The more knowledge, specifically knowledge from boots on the ground, the more of that knowledge I can get helps make better policies and better policy decisions in Congress," Evans said. "Because, it is taking into account the actual needs of operators."
