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Tag: Energy Policy

PUC clean heat rule sparks call for public action over rising utility costs
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

PUC clean heat rule sparks call for public action over rising utility costs

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Email the PUC about their natural gas rule this December. I wanted to share with you another way you can speak up to the PUC re. their Clean Heat Rulemaking. In addition to speaking up at their January 14th meeting, you can also send in an email prior to their finalizing their Clean Heat Plan December 22nd.I received the below from a reader recently. Quoted here with links intact:“Per the Commission’s usual process, any individual, stakeholder or organization may request that the Commission reconsider its decision on these rules. Such requests are due by Dec. 22. The Commission will consider these requests and publicly deliberate at a January weekly meeting. Any one wishing to make public comment or request ...
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Delay as policy: A double standard Colorado must answer
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Delay as policy: A double standard Colorado must answer

By RMV Editorial Board Colorado is asking a court to decide whether doing nothing can amount to doing too much. In its lawsuit over frozen federal funding, the state argues that agencies crossed the line when they allowed congressionally approved programs to stall through delay and inaction. At some point, Colorado contends, refusing to decide becomes a veto Congress never granted. That argument deserves to be taken seriously—and it raises an unavoidable question closer to home. If delay is unlawful at the federal level, why has it become routine at the state level? The standard Colorado is asking courts to enforce In its lawsuit over frozen electric vehicle infrastructure funding, Colorado argues that process cannot be used to achieve outcomes lawmakers ...
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Colorado’s quiet transformation leaves working communities behind
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s quiet transformation leaves working communities behind

By Scott James | Commentary, Scott K. James I am sounding the alarm on the quiet erosion of Colorado’s values, warning of a top-down agenda that’s silencing everyday citizens. Not the Colorado of glossy tourism ads and climate conferences. The real Colorado. The one where: Kids worked ranches and feedlots, not “sustainability internships.” You and I went to Northeastern Junior College, Aims, CSU, UNC, CU – not Cornell, Yale, or Harvard – and that was good, solid, honest. We measured a person by whether they showed up and worked, not by what panel they spoke on. A neighbor expanding his cow–calf operation was a reason to crack a beer, not a reason to clutch pearls about “emissions.” Colorado used to be: Free. Pragmatic. Op...
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Study Shows Electricity Costs Rising Fastest in States Pushing Green Mandates
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Just The News, Approved, National

Study Shows Electricity Costs Rising Fastest in States Pushing Green Mandates

By Kevin Killough | Just The News As Trump kicks off his affordability tour, new analyses show that states with renewable energy mandates have higher electricity rates than states without. President Donald Trump kicked off an affordability tour in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, and among the concerns he’s discussing at the events is the cost of energy.  It’s a big concern for Americans. A recent poll conducted by Ipsos, a marketing research and consulting firm, found that 73% of U.S. residents were concerned about increases in their electricity and gas bills this year.  A new analysis by Always On Energy Research and the Institute for Energy Research shows that residents of blue states see higher electricit...
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Colorado’s Agricultural Economy Depends on Affordable, Reliable Energy
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s Agricultural Economy Depends on Affordable, Reliable Energy

By Matthew Gonzales | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s agricultural industry is one of the state’s greatest economic drivers. With more than 195,000 jobs and roughly $47 billion in economic output each year, it not only feeds the state - it feeds the region and beyond. And like any industry built on tight margins and year-round operations, it depends on one thing to stay competitive: affordable, reliable energy.  That’s why the role of natural gas in Colorado deserves more attention in statewide energy discussions. Natural gas powers irrigation equipment, heats greenhouses, dries grain, and keeps storage and food processing facilities running. It’s the backbone of the infrastructure that gets food from farm to table.  And that energy cost doesn’t stay in the field...
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One window for public input: PUC delays all gas-case comments until January 14
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Approved, Colorado Accountability Project, Commentary, State

One window for public input: PUC delays all gas-case comments until January 14

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Save your comment for the PUC til January I have to fix an earlier goof. In an earlier newsletter (see the first link below), I invited people to sign up for the Dec 10th PUC meeting to speak about their recent natural gas decision. I have since learned that if you are planning on speaking to the PUC on the 10th, you are not allowed to speak about this particular issue. Before talking about why, let me first remind you (and encourage you) to save your comments for January. You should still have the opportunity to speak up January 14th virtually, so I encourage you to do so. Details on how to sign up for that meeting will be forthcoming along with my prepared testimony on or about January 10th. Returning to the pres...
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Boulder Climate Case Risks Imposing Local Agendas on the Entire Nation
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The Federalist, Approved, Commentary, National

Boulder Climate Case Risks Imposing Local Agendas on the Entire Nation

By Christopher Mills | Commentary, The Federalist This week, the U.S. Supreme Court should consider a basic constitutional reality: county officials from Boulder, Colorado, cannot force their preferred climate policies on the rest of the nation. Obvious as it seems, that is what’s at stake in Suncor Energy Inc. v. Boulder County, a climate change case the court will weigh for review on Dec. 12. Like the other thirty-odd copycat climate lawsuits filed by states and localities from Honolulu to my hometown of Charleston, Boulder’s suit weaponizes tort law to try to transform state courts into vehicles for deploying sweeping climate mandates. If Boulder gets its way, the casualties won’t be confined to the energy companies it endeavors to bankrupt; American consumers an...
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Rep. Gabe Evans is a Colorado Energy Champion
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Rep. Gabe Evans is a Colorado Energy Champion

By Hunter Rivera | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As the seventh-largest energy-producing state in the nation, Colorado has established itself as a leader in not only traditional energy, but renewable and next-generation sources as well. That’s why new, all-of-the-above energy legislation moving through Congress is so important for the Centennial State. Just last week, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced the SPEED Act, a bipartisan perm​​itting reform bill that would remove barriers to energy development and deployment. Before it comes to the House floor for a vote, the Energy & Commerce Committee will offer its own contributions to the legislative package. As a member of that important committee and the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, our represent...
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Before Closing Pueblo’s Coal Unit Colorado Must Guarantee Reliable Power
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Before Closing Pueblo’s Coal Unit Colorado Must Guarantee Reliable Power

By The Gazette Editorial Board | The Denver Gazette To meet Colorado’s surging need for electricity, our state needs energy from a diverse array of dedicated sources. Unfortunately, with the pending closure of the two remaining, operational, coal-fired units at Xcel Energy’s Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, things are getting tricky. Comanche is the state’s largest power plant, with an original capacity of 1,410 megawatts. But its Unit 1 was shut down in 2022 as part of the statewide phaseout of coal-burning power plants. Unit 2 now is set to close at the end of this year, with Comanche Unit 3 scheduled for closure in 2030. It’s all part of Gov. Jared Polis’ green-energy agenda, which aims to move away from fossil fuels like coal in favor of renewable energy sources like wind a...
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Colorado needs an all‑of‑the‑above energy strategy
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado needs an all‑of‑the‑above energy strategy

By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As we all know, energy is vital in policy making. If we have no secure energy sector, uncertainty will ensue. While there are different views on energy policy, we must not rule out any single source of energy (like fossil fuels) for a clean environment that also secures our demand to provide for our consumers.  Energy affects virtually everything from the cost of raw materials to the finished goods or services you see in the market. More rigorous energy policy that isn’t cost effective, only raises prices and may create scarcity of resources available. In the Colorado legislature, as a first term state Representative, I have seen these concerns unfold in real time as they push a very ambitious 2040 zero emissions ...
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