Colorado has suffered during 20 years of Democrat control. Our state has become the fourth most expensive and the sixth worst for regulatory burden, according to studies from the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, the condition of our highways and bridges has dropped to eighth from last place. I’m running to represent House District 26 because I want to bring positive change to the Western Slope.

For nearly 30 years, I’ve worked as an engineering consultant specializing in geotechnical, geologic and water-resources engineering projects across western Colorado. I have worked in private-sector consulting and for the Colorado Division of Water Resources. My job requires that I adhere to a defined scope, schedule and budget. It’s clear that the current politicians in Denver don’t operate that way.

Our Western Slope challenges stem from three primary issues: affordability, local energy and water rights. To solve our problems, we don’t need more legislation from politicians that imposes rules, regulations, taxes and fees. We need problem-solvers who can provide measurable results without emptying our wallets. That’s what I can bring to House District 26.

Housing costs in our counties are rising, property taxes keep climbing and monthly bills take more from every paycheck. Average people are being forced out of the communities they serve. Yet Denver politicians keep adding mandates that drive costs higher. Legislation like the Sustainable Affordable Housing Assistance Act, SB24-174, increases bureaucratic burdens and costs on local governments (i.e., taxpayers). It slows the pace of construction and pushes a top-down, high-density growth model that strains resources.

I will work to remove excessive regulations, layers of bureaucracy and building code hurdles that simply make building more expensive and time-consuming. We must also support modular and prefab construction that can provide more attainable housing as compared to more expensive traditional construction methods. The private sector should be enabled to build attainable housing without government mandates or taxpayer-funded subsidies.

House District 26 helps power Colorado, but Democrat attacks on local energy production are forcing the closure of the Craig and Hayden stations. The Climate Action Plan to Reduce Pollution, HB19-1261, doesn’t just further inflate our utility bills. It means the loss of hundreds of high-paying jobs and local tax bases. Instead of helping our destabilized Western Slope communities, Democrats piled on. They passed the Oil and Gas Production Fees Bill, SB24-230, which imposed quarterly fees on oil and gas production to fund “clean transit” projects in other parts of the state.

I will fight against mandates that are shutting down local energy production. If a coal-fired power plant does close, we must demand local replacement of production. We have experienced workers, an existing distribution grid and community acceptance. I will also work to repeal production fees. This tax on energy production raises costs for consumers, hurts our communities and diverts money from local economies. I support an “all-of-the-above strategy” that utilizes our local resources, lowers utility bills and protects Western Slope jobs.

Western Slope water rights are critical for agriculture, energy production, domestic use and snowmaking at ski resorts. Our water resources are currently threatened by drought and low snowpack. At the same time, Front Range demands and new operating guidelines for the Colorado River Compact could force curtailment of senior agricultural rights. The recent Water Conservation Measures Bill, SB24-197, is framed as conservation, but it threatens to supersede the prior appropriation doctrine that protects our senior water rights. It will prioritize Front Range diversions and downstream demands at our expense.

I will defend our water rights. And I won’t support a compact operating plan that includes mandatory curtailments on the Colorado Western Slope. Pursuant to statute, water rights are property rights. We should not be forced to give them up. I will fight for equitable treatment of Western Slope water users in every state decision. Our water should serve the people on this side of the Continental Divide.

I believe in ideas over the progressive ideology of the Democrat majority in Denver. And I will work to deliver measurable results instead of new rules and regulations. Our communities must be empowered to solve the problems that affect us. With your support, I can help bring positive change to House District 26. That means attainable housing, local energy production and secure water rights.

James Kellogg is the Republican candidate in the Nov. 3 midterm election for Colorado House District 26, which spans Routt, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties as well as the majority of Eagle County.