Energy Forum & Expo 2010: Come learn about the future of energy

Falling as it does each year, shortly after the president’s State of the Union address, the Energy Forum & Expo often serves as a reality check on the ambitions of federal policy makers.

Amid the calls for cleaner energy, more investment in “green” jobs and technology and less dependence on foreign oil are a litany of real-world challenges standing in the way.

Some of those hurdles will be enumerated during the Energy Forum & Expo. But promising solutions will be presented as well. Speakers and exhibitors are invited to share their research, long-term projections and cutting-edge technologies regarding the world’s single most important commodity: energy.

Energy drives global markets and factors into production costs for everything we consume, said Kathy Hall, a member of the expo’s organizing committee. It’s also at the heart of debates on national security, foreign policy, the world climate and global economic development.

And western Colorado is uniquely positioned to meet the country’s demand for more energy – whether it’s clean or conventional.

“You name it, we have it: coal, gas, oil shale, uranium, solar, geothermal and on and on ... it’s an economic solidity that we’ve always had, whether we exploit it or not,” Hall said.

“The focus of the expo has never changed,” Hall added. “We’ve always been about looking at the future of energy and positioning ourselves to develop our vast resources in an environmentally-sensitive way to secure a strong economic base and a safe, prosperous future for our children.”

The Daily Sentinel published a week-long series, “Energy Alley,” starting Dec. 27, 2009, which provided a detailed inventory of the wealth of energy sources in this region. (The first story of the series is included in this program and the entire series will be republished in March as part of the Sentinel’s annual “Portrait” series.)

Hall, a former Mesa County commissioner, commended the series because it illustrated a message the Energy Forum & Expo has been trying to impart for five years – that western Colorado is well positioned to play a major role in America’s future energy needs.

The series also dovetailed with the expo’s mission of educating people to effect change.

“If citizens do not force politicians to do something, then nothing will get done,” Hall said, adding, “I can say that as a recovering politician.”

ENERGY FORUM & EXPO CO
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010
GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
TWO RIVERS
CONVENTION CENTER
8:00AM—4:00PM