Matt Baker is excited about President Bush’s visit to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Tuesday.
As the executive director of Environment Colorado, he is glad the president is restoring $28 million to the energy-efficiency site, and he hopes Bush returns.
“We need six or seven visits from the president to get back to where we were at the beginning of his administration,” he said.
He was among a group of local environmentalists who gathered in Golden Monday to preview Bush’s visit with a call for further boosts in renewable energy funding.
Bush is coming to NREL two days after allegedly restoring funding cuts at NREL, which led to 32 layoffs last month.
Tina Larney had worked for NREL for six weeks before she learned her position was cut. She hopes to get her job back soon, but she said funding should not only be restored to previous levels but increase.
“I’m a little skeptical about why the layoffs happened at all,” she said. “It seems like there is an unwillingness in the administration and a lack of will in Washington to fund renewable energy.”
Dave Bowden, former president of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, said renewable energy funding has long been a “political football,” increasing and decreasing with each administration and Congressional cycle.
“Consistent funding and consistent policies are what is going to move this country forward,” he said.