Washington, DC – Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, released the following statement regarding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s decision to bring a scaled-back energy bill to the Senate floor next week:

“I can’t help but be underwhelmed by Washington today,” said Bennet.  “The country needs us to move forward on addressing climate change and creating a clean energy economy.  Yet partisanship and gridlock have struck again.  We need a comprehensive energy bill that puts a price on carbon pollution and incentivizes the investments in clean energy that will help create jobs and lessen our dependence on overseas oil.  A good bill will also follow Colorado’s lead in establishing an aggressive renewable electricity standard.

“We simply can’t afford to let the opportunity to create new clean energy jobs and break our reliance on foreign fossil fuels slip away.  And while Washington can’t seem to get its act together, I’m going to keep up the fight to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill that moves Colorado and the country forward.”

“While I’m very disappointed that partisan bickering has kept a comprehensive bill from coming to the floor, there are provisions that are worthy of debate in this bill.  I am supportive of lifting the liability cap for oil companies like BP to hold them fully accountable for their oil spills.  I also support full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  Coloradans take seriously the need to protect our natural heritage, and this highly-popular program will help us preserve our land and water for the enjoyment of generations to come.”