Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter issued the following statement after release of a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business highlighting the economic impact of Colorado’s federal laboratories.  The new study estimates federal labs contributed $1.5 billion to Colorado’s economy in FY 2010 and was responsible for over 16,000 direct and indirect jobs.  Click here to view the report.

“My number one priority is to get people back to work here in our state and country, because that’s the best thing we can do to move forward toward economic stability. This study reinforces the direct impact NREL and the other labs have in building good paying, private sector jobs here in our community.  The estimated economic impact in Jefferson County alone is more than $413 million."

"I cannot support the House Republicans' irresponsible spending plan which will cost nearly 1 million jobs nationwide -- including possibly thousands of private sector energy jobs in the 7th CD and Colorado because of potential cuts at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden.  They want to import oil and export jobs, and that is the wrong way to grow our economy and reduce our debt."