Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Energy Policy

Colorado Energy Mandates Drive Rising Costs And Reliability Concerns
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Energy Mandates Drive Rising Costs And Reliability Concerns

By Complete Colorado Staff | Complete Colorado In a recent episode of Independence Institute’s* energy podcast, PowerGab, hosts Jake Fogelman and Amy Cooke argue that ‘green’ energy mandates are driving up Colorado energy prices and threatening grid reliability, while environmental groups and progressive media outlets try to obscure the role renewables play in rising utility costs. A major topic of the show is a proposal allowing, among other things, Colorado Springs Utilities to delay retirement of the Ray Nixon coal plant if shutting it down on schedule would harm reliability or impose unreasonable costs. As the hosts note, the plant remains essential, supplying about 25% of Colorado Springs’ electricity, while replacement generation has proven far more expensive than ...
Two visions of Colorado’s energy future collide in committee hearing
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Two visions of Colorado’s energy future collide in committee hearing

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Xcel shut off power Saturday afternoon in parts of Boulder and Jefferson counties—roughly 18,000 customers in all. The wind was up, fire danger was high, and outages weren’t limited to the shutoff areas—some hit in the foothills, others farther into the mountains, where crews were still working Sunday. House Bill 26-1246 had come up earlier in the week during a committee hearing. Rep. Ken DeGraaf pointed to those kinds of events as a warning. “Public safety power shutoffs… have become increasingly normalized,” he told lawmakers. What followed wasn’t just a debate over one bill. It was a clash between two different ways of thinking about how Colorado should power its future. At its core, the disagreement comes down to this: should...
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 ...
Trump Administration Taps Global Oil Reserves And U.S. Production To Steady Markets
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

Trump Administration Taps Global Oil Reserves And U.S. Production To Steady Markets

By: Anthony Iafrate | The Daily Signal THE DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated during a “Meet The Press” interview Sunday that the U.S. is taking several actions—including increasing oil production in deep blue California—to mitigate rising fuel costs due to the conflict in Iran. After the military strikes of Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28, Iran sought to block U.S. transport vessels from passing though the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway separating the country from the Gulf States through which an estimated 20% of the world’s oil demand usually flows. The reduction in shipping volume has led to the surge of oil prices in the following weeks. “We have done many, many act...
High Winds Trigger Powerline Safety Measures in Boulder County
DENVER7, Approved, Local

High Winds Trigger Powerline Safety Measures in Boulder County

By: Tyler Melito | Denver7 Several projects in Boulder are underway to move power lines underground — a move residents Denver7 spoke with say they welcome. BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — High winds predicted for Thursday are prompting proactive measures by energy providers like Xcel. The company plans to implement an enhanced powerline safety setting — making lines more sensitive and automatically shut off power if something hits the line — on Thursday in several counties to allow power to remain in service with additional sensitivity protections in place. But Xcel and the City of Boulder are working on a long-term solution amid community pushback on public safety power shutoffs. Part of that includes continuing to bury power lines; 60% of the city's power lines...
HB 26-1246: Protecting Coloradans from rising power costs and a broken system
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

HB 26-1246: Protecting Coloradans from rising power costs and a broken system

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor's update: House Bill 26-1246 is scheduled to be heard in the House Energy & Environment Committee today, Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in the Old State Library. Coloradans may listen live at leg.colorado.gov/agenda/committee/202622308545820. Colorado is facing a turning point in energy policy. For years, families and businesses across our state have watched their electricity bills rise while our landscapes are increasingly carved up by massive transmission projects stretching from horizon to horizon. Forests, prairies, farms, and communities are being cut apart in the name of electrification and “grid modernization.” Meanwhile, the people paying the price are the very citizens the system is su...
Xcel Warns Grid May Need Coal Plants Longer Amid Delays In New Energy Projects
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Xcel Warns Grid May Need Coal Plants Longer Amid Delays In New Energy Projects

By: Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun The plants in Pueblo and Hayden were slated to phase out between 2025 and 2030. Now the company has proposed running all their units for four more years. Xcel Energy, facing what it says is a shortfall in electricity generating capacity for the next two years, is proposing to run its four coal-fired units until 2030. Comanche Unit 2, in Pueblo, was supposed to close at the end of 2025. One unit at the Hayden Station is to close in 2027 and the second unit is slated to shut in 2028. Comanche Unit 3 is set to close in 2030. Comanche 3 suffered turbine damage in August taking the unit offline. Xcel Energy initially said repairs would be completed in June, but in a March 2 report to state regulators the company said it h...
America’s Energy Boom Provides Strategic Shield Amid Middle East Turmoil
Forbes, Approved, Commentary, National

America’s Energy Boom Provides Strategic Shield Amid Middle East Turmoil

By: David Blackmon | Commentary, Forbes As the missiles and drones continue to fly over the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict centered in Iran, global oil markets are in turmoil. Crude prices surged past $90 per barrel on March 6, and United States pump prices have jumped about 20 cents a gallon in the past week. But even with that, the United States is weathering this storm better than other global powers thanks to an unrivaled level of national energy security. The Shale Boom and Energy Dominance: Building Blocks Of Energy Security The shale boom, boosted by the energy dominance agendas of both Donald Trump presidencies, has transformed the U.S. into an energy powerhouse, slashing reliance on Persian Gulf oil to near rock-bottom levels. This is goo...
Blizzard of contradictions: Colorado headlines spark climate credibility questions
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, State

Blizzard of contradictions: Colorado headlines spark climate credibility questions

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Open the Denver Post and you might experience intellectual whiplash. In one article, readers are warned that Colorado ski resorts face an uncertain future due to climate change, with “less reliable powder days” threatening the industry. Resorts must invest in snowmaking, diversify revenue streams, and brace for a warming planet. Right beside it? A forecast of more than two feet of snow for Colorado’s mountain peaks. Two feet. Screenshot The Denver Post February 16, 2026 // fair use Apparently, the climate crisis is now capable of producing both the imminent demise of snow and an old-fashioned Rocky Mountain blizzard. Sometimes on the same page. This is not satire. It’s modern ...
Why I’m Running for United States Senate
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Why I’m Running for United States Senate

By Sean Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado is being managed into decline. Not in one dramatic collapse. Not in one headline. In slow motion. Costs go up. Public safety goes down. Energy gets strangled. Rural communities get ignored. And government keeps getting bigger. I am running for United States Senate because I am tired of watching it happen. I am not running to join the club. I am running to reverse the direction this state is headed. I am a fifth generation Coloradan. A Navy veteran. A county commissioner. A business owner who has signed the front of paychecks and felt the weight of bad policy in real time. I have lived under the consequences of decisions made in Denver and...

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