GOP legislators called on U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar this week to stop opposing energy development in the U.S. and urged him to start taking real action on the energy situation facing Colorado.

Several state legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, Assistant Senate Minority Leader Nancy Spence, and Senate Caucus Chairman Mike Kopp, sent Salazar a letter Wednesday asking him to reconsider his opposition to energy development in the U.S. Salazar has gone on record opposing the development of oil supplies, off shore.

State Sen. Mike Kopp, expressed his frustration with Salazar over his refusal to take the lead on energy development.

"Ken Salazar has missed a golden opportunity to become Colorado's quarterback for common sense energy policy," he said. "He could be genuinely helping families meet their budgets for gas and utility bills, but I guess he would rather be a punter than a quarterback."

Leading Republicans urged ruling Democrats today not to count on hard-pressed taxpayers for more transportation funding anytime soon--and instead adopt innovative alternatives to higher taxes and fees.

The lawmakers were responding to news this week of survey results that continue to show the public isn't interested in paying more for transportation despite bottlenecked traffic arteries and a backlog of highway upgrades around the state.  As reported in today's Rocky Mountain News, a survey by the group Move Colorado showed that while voters are beginning to see transportation as a more pressing issue, they aren't ready yet to raise taxes. The findings mirror those of previous surveys that show little public appetite for tax or registration-fee hikes to upgrade the transportation grid. 

Republicans say the latest round of public feedback should come as no surprise. 

"By now, you would think everyone at the Capitol would be tired of driving transportation policy down the same dead-end road of seeking one-size-fits-all tax increases," said the GOP's Sen. Josh Penry, of Grand Junction. "We're heading into a recession, and taxpayers are strapped."

Move Colorado's survey findings were disclosed at a hearing Tuesday at the Capitol as state transportation officials briefed the Transportation Legislative Review Committee about plummeting highway revenue. Although the dismal fiscal forecast renewed calls in some quarters for lobbying the public to provide more funding, statehouse Republicans said it is time for a new approach altogether.