A Senate committee embraced a Republican proposal today that expands the use of renewable energy by lowering bureaucratic barriers. Sen. Shawn Mitchell's Senate Bill 117--which would cap exorbitant permit fees charged by some cities for solar-system installations on homes and businesses--won unanimous, bipartisan approval in the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee.

Solar-energy advocates, including representatives of the industry as well as environmentalists, testified to the need for Mitchell's proposal, and they pointed to how demand for alternative power sources is surging across Colorado.

They said the fees charged in Front Range cities vary dramatically--from $59 in the city and county of Denver to as high as $1,345 just next-door in Aurora--deterring plenty of home- and business owners from going solar.

Mitchell's bill caps what cities and counties can charge for solar permitting fees at $300 dollars for residential and $1,000 dollars for non-residential permits.

"It's good for the environment, and it pushes back government barriers and bureaucrats," Mitchell said after the committee's vote.