Counties told to fix energy policy they didn’t create: Mesa commissioner pushes back

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice

Mesa County Commissioner JJ Fletcher said he wasn’t looking to start a political fight when he published a recent op-ed questioning Colorado’s rapid move away from natural gas.

What he wanted, Fletcher said, was to put a practical concern on the record—one he hears repeatedly from rural counties.

Fletcher said the problem has become harder to ignore in recent weeks. With power shutoffs in December, higher utility bills and public anger spilling into regulatory hearings, he said counties are being asked to answer for decisions they didn’t make.

In an interview with RMV, Fletcher said the message from state leaders has been consistent: counties are expected to deal with the impacts of electrification, even though they don’t control utilities, the grid or the regulatory timelines driving those decisions.

“Governor Polis said it was going to be up to the counties to figure out how we transition,” Fletcher said. “But what power do we actually have when it comes to building grids or infrastructure? We don’t.”

From op-ed to official record

Fletcher’s Daily Sentinel op-ed laid out those concerns in measured terms, focusing on reliability, affordability and regional differences rather than partisan framing.

“Electrification is not a simple switch,” Fletcher wrote. “Our winters are cold, our communities are spread out, and much of our housing stock is older.”

The column drew immediate response from residents concerned about costs, reliability and winter outages.

One commenter asked the obvious question: would he send it to the governor. Fletcher replied that it would be “mailed out tomorrow.” A few days later, it was.

A formal letter followed, sent to Polis and copied to several state and local leaders, including Rep. Matt Soper (Delta County) and Grand Junction Mayor Cody Kennedy. The letter put Fletcher’s concerns on the official record with state leadership.

Counties responsible, agencies in control

The issue Fletcher keeps returning to isn’t intent. It’s control.

While his letter focused on impacts to rural communities, the mechanics of Colorado’s energy transition are largely driven through state agencies and regulatory processes counties do not oversee. Public Utilities Commission rulemaking, utility clean heat plans and emissions mandates shape how and when electrification occurs.

Counties have no authority over those decisions.

“We don’t regulate utilities. We don’t set permitting timelines,” Fletcher said. “But when rates go up or reliability goes down, those calls come to us.”

County officials, he said, are left answering for outcomes they had no role in designing.

Fletcher’s concerns echo issues RMV has previously reported on, including how utility decisions are made and communicated during planned shutoffs.

The hidden tax on rural schools and services

The impacts go further than household bills, Fletcher said.

He pointed to Plateau Valley as a clear example of what is at stake when energy policy decisions ripple through rural tax bases.

“Laramie Energy is the largest property tax contributor in Plateau Valley,” Fletcher said. “If it wasn’t for that tax revenue, that school district probably wouldn’t exist.”

Fletcher said natural gas producers make up well over 80 percent of the Plateau Valley school district’s tax base—a level of dependence that leaves little room for error if drilling activity drops off.

Last spring, Laramie Energy told the county commission that roughly 40 percent of its revenue goes to taxes—a figure Fletcher pointed to as evidence of how thin operating margins already are in Colorado.

“They’re paying their share now,” he said. “But margins are razor thin, and they don’t know what the long-term future looks like in Colorado.”

Electrification without a grid

Fletcher also questioned whether Colorado’s electric infrastructure is prepared for a rapid shift away from natural gas, especially during extreme weather.

“What we saw last weekend in Denver is exactly the concern,” he said. “People didn’t have a way to heat their homes because they only had one energy source and no backup.”

Similar outages in foothill communities left residents without heat and scrambling for backup power, reinforcing the risks Fletcher says counties are expected to manage without authority.

State planning documents acknowledge increased strain on the grid as heating demand shifts from gas to electricity, especially during cold snaps when demand peaks.

“When it’s 20 below, reliability isn’t theoretical,” Fletcher said.

Residents speak, but don’t feel heard

The response to the op-ed wasn’t a surprise to Fletcher. He said it mirrored conversations he has regularly with constituents.

“They absolutely don’t feel like their voices are being heard, especially in agriculture,” he said. “People are being told they have to convert infrastructure they can’t afford.”

While some public reaction veered into broader political frustration, Fletcher said his focus remains on documenting the issue rather than escalating rhetoric.

“I wanted it on the record,” he said.

Industry reality meets policy ambition

Fletcher said uncertainty is one of the biggest challenges counties face, particularly when regulatory timelines in Colorado far exceed those in neighboring states.

“It’s taking over two years to get a permit for a well in Colorado,” he said. “In Wyoming it’s 60 to 90 days.”

That difference, he said, shapes where companies choose to invest and where jobs end up—draining the tax base counties depend on while leaving local governments to deal with the consequences.

RMV reached out to Laramie Energy Vice President Chris Clark for comment and supporting information referenced by Fletcher. As of publication, no response had been received.

Not opposing transition—questioning the plan

“If we’re going to transition, then what does that look like?” Fletcher asked. Fletcher said the goal has been announced, but the plan hasn’t.

Fletcher said nuclear power may factor into long-term planning, but it’s still roughly a decade away from being usable at scale. Until then, he said, natural gas remains a stabilizing resource the state is moving away from faster than replacements are coming online.

“You don’t throw everything out without a plan,” Fletcher said.

On the record

For Fletcher, sending the letter to Polis was about accountability more than immediate results.

“At the very least, we’ll be on the record for trying to fight for oil and gas and mining in Colorado,” he said. “If we don’t continue to fight, then we lose the battle.”

For Mesa County—and other rural communities watching closely—the question Fletcher raised is now on the table: if counties are expected to deal with the consequences of Colorado’s energy policy, why weren’t they given the authority to shape it?