CO energy office plagued by sloppy accounting

Colorado's embattled energy development office is plagued by misspending, sloppy accounting and high turnover. That's according to a blistering state audit released Tuesday.
    
The audit blasts the Colorado Energy Office for not keeping track of travel expenses and contracts and for not following up to make sure projects were completed. The audit says that the agency can't demonstrate that $252 million spent over the past six years was spent cost-effectively. Much of it was federal stimulus money.
    
The energy office was created in 1977 to promote energy conservation. The office took on new significance under former Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter, who focused on renewable energy development. Last year the office added traditional sources of energy to the office, including oil and gas and coal.