Rep. Scott Tipton is fond of calling his energy approach an all-of-the-above energy policy, which sounds innocent enough. It means endorsing gas, oil, coal, wind, solar and hydroelectric power.

The problem is they are not all-of-the-above equally polluting our air, water and atmosphere. As for jobs – wind and solar create almost three times as many jobs as gas, oil and coal-powered energy.

An all-of-the-above development plan is a permission slip to pretend all energy sources are valid and on a level playing field with each other. It’s pretending the externalized social costs of increased health care bills from toxic pollution and cleanup costs don’t exist. It’s pretending the carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels don’t cause global warming and thus affect the Colorado economy, tourism, forest fires, drought and agriculture.

So why is Tipton so pro-pollution? Follow the money. Just as he is addicted to smoking, Tipton is addicted to the easy-flowing campaign contributions (dark money) from the fossil fuel industry.

Upton Sinclair writes, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” Given this, it would follow that Tipton is on both the House subcommitees for Mineral and Energy Resources and Federal Lands.

Those are the committees where one can most influence the flow of fossil fuel extraction, thus pleasing his donor base.

Jo Ann Kopke

Bayfield