Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner is praising a funding increase for renewable energy in Colorado.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy announced Monday that $5.7 million in project funding will be awarded to the renewable energy laboratory in Golden.

“This funding is great news for Colorado and our cutting-edge energy research community,” Gardner said in a release. “By focusing on responsible energy development and an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes renewable energy like wind, we have the potential to make a better life for all Americans and to make our nation more secure.”

Conservation Colorado released a report in June detailing Gardner’s voting record on environmental issues. The report concluded that Gardner votes against the environment 85% of the time.

Gardner’s campaign manager said the report made false and exaggerated claims and that group was prioritizing “political cheap shots” over conservation issues.

“I believe in climate change,” said Gardner, according to his prepared remarks. “I believe in the consensus within the scientific community. I believe humans are contributing to climate change, and I believe we have work to do together to solve it.

“Unfortunately climate change has become a partisan weapon used for more fighting than as a topic of serious discussion. In reality, there is unreasonableness on both far ends of the spectrum but much in the middle where we can agree.”