Green means two things this year at the state Capitol: It's good for the environment and it's good for the economy.

That's why environmental groups are pitching eco-initiatives with one eye on Mother Nature and another on the bottom line.

The proposals include enlarging the market for solar energy, spending federal stimulus money on mass transit, carving out utility money for energy efficiency projects in rural areas and protecting Colorado's popular landscapes from the impacts of oil and gas development.

"Conservationists are promoting green policies that create jobs and strengthen the economy," said Carrie Doyle, executive director of Colorado Conservation Voters. "Our state's future must be 'Colorado clean.' "

The approach is a bit of a departure from the greens' traditional legislative campaigns, with activists pushing their approach as part of a larger theme around boosting the economy.

"Clean energy is a sunny spot in Colorado's economy," said Pam Kiely of Environment Colorado. Kiely backs a proposal that would make solar power a standard option for many new homebuyers.

She noted that solar energy employment in the state tripled from 2005 to 2008. "This is about jobs in Colorado," she said of efforts to push more solar development.

Conservation groups noted that a green-based economic recovery requires not only the right state approach, but the distribution of $150 billion of expected economic stimulus money from Washington, D.C. That money, they say, needs to go toward clean energy and transit projects.

Republican lawmakers expressed support for a growing renewable energy industry, but cautioned that advocates are relying too heavily on government mandates.

Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said lawmakers should focus on creating markets for solar energy through tax and fee cuts or rebates, instead of requiring developers to make homes solar- ready.

"Whether it is sun, wind, nuclear or any other source of renewable energy - not to mention a clean, efficient power source such as natural gas - we need to look at removing government barriers rather than imposing mandates to encourage responsible energy development," Mitchell said in a statement.

Greens also assert that preserving new regulations guiding oil and gas drilling in the state is part of an economic imperative. The new rules, called for by lawmakers in 2007, were approved by state oil and gas commissioners in December after 18 months of hearings.

Now, however, parts of the rules are under fire from industry and some Republican lawmakers who say they'll crimp drilling in Colorado at a time the state needs job growth.

Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, said the new rules are pushing energy companies out of the eastern plains. Asked why, he blamed "permit uncertainty" and regulations that he said give the Division of Wildlife too much authority over drilling.

Green groups counter that many wildlife and drinking-water rules have limited effect in northeastern Colorado. They add that most of the requirements protecting wildlife habitat apply to the Western Slope, and that the rules don't take effect until April.

Environmentalists also argue the rules are key to Colorado's economic growth by helping keep air and water clean and important landscapes intact - all part of what draws people to the state.

"That's kind of the deal we're trying to strike here," with oil and gas development, Doyle said. "Come here, do business here, prosper here. But not at the expense of our wildlife, our water, our communities."

Greening Colorado

Environmentalists and lawmakers are proposing several measures they say will help both the environment and the economy. They would:

* Require rural electric cooperatives and city utilities to offer customer rebates for energy- saving appliances, lighting and other conservation measures.

* Tie efforts to increase state transportation revenue to environmental improvements. One proposal could call for linking vehicle registration fees to a car's fuel efficiency instead of its weight. Cars getting better gas mileage would pay lower fees than others.

* Require developers of large neighborhoods to offer rooftop solar systems, much as they provide other options, such as upgraded flooring, on new homes.

* Preserve new environmental rules that protect air, water, wildlife and Colorado's quality of life from the impacts of oil and gas development.

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