Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Energy Infrastructure

Colorado needs a smarter answer on data centers than yes or no
ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado needs a smarter answer on data centers than yes or no

By Scott James | Commentary, Scott's Sheet Colorado can welcome data centers, but only with honest math on water, power, rates, and who pays when the press release meets the utility bill. Most normal people do not wake up worried about data centers. They wake up worried about the mortgage, the water bill, the power bill, the kids, the roads, and whether the internet will freeze right as the Broncos line up on fourth and short. Then somebody says “data center,” and the room divides almost immediately. One side acts like every giant project is economic manna from heaven. The other side acts like a server farm is Mordor with better landscaping. Somewhere between NIMBY and corporate shill, there is a principled yes. Colorado ought to find it. Big Pivots argues that...
Northern Colorado Leaders Warn Power Shortage Could Slow Growth
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Northern Colorado Leaders Warn Power Shortage Could Slow Growth

By: Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado Rapid growth across parts of Northern Colorado is colliding with a growing challenge — being able to access enough electricity to support new homes and businesses. Local leaders in Greeley say demand for power has increased significantly in recent decades. This is as technology becomes more integrated into everyday life, and it creates pressure on an electric grid that is struggling to keep pace with population growth and development. "We are growing pretty rapidly," said Don Threewitt, interim community and economic developer for the city of Greeley. Threewitt said the state's electric demand has shifted dramatically in the last decade, as residents rely more heavily on technology. From smartphones and electric vehicles to incre...
Day 19 Iran Conflict SitRep
Grounds For Truth, Approved, Commentary, National

Day 19 Iran Conflict SitRep

By Kennesaw | Commentary, Grounds for Truth Gulf Energy Infrastructure Under Direct Fire, Markets Spike, and the Conflict Tests American Resolve and Alliance Reality Consider this the next unfiltered situation update on the Iran conflict, all in one place – raw intelligence compiled as of March 19, 2026, approximately 24 hours after the Day 18 timestamp. Strategic Map + Conflict Dashboard (Day 19) Strait of Hormuz Status: Open but under acute stress—passage continues amid risk, with Iranian strikes now hitting the energy nodes that feed the entire corridor. Oil Pressure: Sharp reaction—Brent crude climbed nearly 4 percent and briefly topped $114 before partial retreat as markets priced in real supply threat. Proxy Activity: Moderate to high...
Court ruling could bankrupt Greenpeace after Dakota Access pipeline protests
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Court ruling could bankrupt Greenpeace after Dakota Access pipeline protests

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com My granddad had a great expression when something was remarkable or astonishing: “Well, if that doesn’t just beat the Dutch!” It was a linguistic heirloom of the 17th Century when England and the Netherlands were commercial and naval rivals. Something had to be extreme to surpass even the Dutch, so that eventually became a common saying even on the American frontier. It crossed my mind this week when a North Dakota judge ordered Greenpeace to pay the substantial damages awarded by a jury for the group’s organization and funding of protests at the Dakota Access pipeline. The pipeline owners, Energy Transfer Partners, sued and the jury found Greenpeace guilty of conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and tortious interference. The latter refers ...
House Bill 26-1246: Protecting Colorado’s citizens, landscape, and economy
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

House Bill 26-1246: Protecting Colorado’s citizens, landscape, and economy

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s update: House Bill 26-1246 was heard in the House Energy & Environment Committee on Thursday, March 12, 2026, and laid over for further consideration. The bill is expected to return to committee within approximately two weeks. Coloradans who want to weigh in before the next hearing can track the bill’s status and find contact information for committee members at leg.colorado.gov/committees/2026A/house/EnergyEnvironment. Colorado is at an energy crossroads. Decisions being made today about how electricity is generated, transmitted, and paid for will shape our state’s economy, landscape, and cost of living for decades to come. House Bill 26-1246 is a response to a simple but increasingly urgent problem: th...
Colorado Lawmakers Move To Rein In Utility Eminent Domain After Xcel Land Dispute
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Move To Rein In Utility Eminent Domain After Xcel Land Dispute

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics After months of backlash over Xcel Energy’s use of eminent domain in eastern Colorado, lawmakers representing Elbert and El Paso counties are advancing legislation that would bar utilities from initiating property takings until they’ve secured state approval and all required local permits — a move supporters say will restore fairness and prevent landowners from being forced into legal limbo. House Bill 1278, sponsored by Rep. Chris Richardson, R-Elizabeth, and Sens. Marc Snyder, D-Colorado Springs, and Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells, would require utilities to receive a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Public Utilities Commission, as well as all necessary local land use approvals and permits, before initiating em...
Who decides where power lines go in Colorado? Meet CETA, the unelected authority
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Who decides where power lines go in Colorado? Meet CETA, the unelected authority

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Worried about land use for energy infrastructure? Save some time to watch CETA. There has been a lot of attention paid to Xcel Energy and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) over where and how electric infrastructure will run in this state.See, for example, Polis encouraging his cronies at the PUC to take up the appeal over Xcel's Power Pathway through Elbert and El Paso in an October 2025 newsletter linked first below for an example.There is another unelected board in this state that does similar work with far less news coverage, however.The second link below is to a 2021 bill (SB21-072) that does a whole lot of things.Screenshot 1 (from the bill's fiscal note) shows you what this bill does with regard to...
Colorado Faces Deep Cuts to Federal Clean-Energy Funds
kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Faces Deep Cuts to Federal Clean-Energy Funds

By Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Day two of the federal shutdown is winding down. While members of Congress are not set to vote on another proposal until Friday, President Donald Trump and his budget director are working on a plan to cut federal funding and jobs in blue states. Colorado is set to see cuts. The president’s budget director warned that since Wednesday, Colorado may lose some federal funding for clean energy programs. There is now a better idea of exactly what could be cut. Russell Vought is the U.S. Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He also helped write Project 2025. He met with President Trump on Thursday to determine which agencies he should cut. The president said on social media that the two of them would determine if the cu...
U.S. Supreme Court sides with rail developers in Eagle County fight over NEPA
Approved, Local, National, Westword

U.S. Supreme Court sides with rail developers in Eagle County fight over NEPA

By J.B. Ruhl | Westword On May 29, the Supreme Court – minus Justice Neil Gorsuch, who recused himself – decided the case of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game. Whether the effects are good or bad depends on the viewer’s perspective. Either way, there is a new interpretation in place for the law that is the centerpiece of the debate about permitting: the&nbs...

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