Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Energy Reliability

From coal transition to data centers: JOLT summit heads to Grand Junction
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From coal transition to data centers: JOLT summit heads to Grand Junction

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Before JOLT became an annual summit, local leaders across Northwest Colorado were wrestling with a difficult question: What comes after coal? Now they’re holding their fourth summit, and this year’s program includes discussions on geothermal energy, data centers, critical minerals, electric cooperative power supplies, workforce development and Colorado River issues. "I don't think that with JOLT, the mission has changed," said Ray Beck, chairman of JOLT — Joint Organizations Leading Transition. "We're still trying to educate people on different sources of energy." Founded by local officials, educators and industry leaders, JOLT was created as Northwest Colorado communities searched for answers about economic transition and long-term op...
Lawmakers Put Reliability And Energy Costs Ahead Of New Climate Mandates In 2026
The Sum & Substance, Approved, Commentary, State

Lawmakers Put Reliability And Energy Costs Ahead Of New Climate Mandates In 2026

By: Ed Sealover | Commentary, The Sum & Substance This legislative session was supposed to be a defining one for the utility and energy sectors — one in which legislators would debate and pass a long-discussed plan to move up the net-zero emissions deadline by 10 years and also remake the Public Utilities Commission. But the story of the 2026 session for energy advocates instead turned out to be all about what didn’t happen. No 2040 net-zero plan got introduced. No radical changes came through the extension of the PUC. And for the first time in over a decade, no existential threats to the oil and gas sector received debate in the 75th General Assembly. The topics that took center stage instead were reliability and affordability of energy sources. Legislators h...
Colorado Bill Could Lock Xcel Customers Into Decades Of Power Plant Costs
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Bill Could Lock Xcel Customers Into Decades Of Power Plant Costs

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette State regulators would gain expanded power to order Xcel Energy to finance major costs for its chronically troubled Comanche 3 coal plant through bonds backed by a decades-long charge on every customer’s monthly electric bill. House Bill 26-1326, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission sunset bill that cleared its first committee on April 23, would let the PUC direct investor-owned utilities to use securitization under 2019’s Colorado Energy Impact Bond Act. The measure continues the PUC through 2037 while expanding its authority beyond voluntary utility applications. Securitization allows a utility to issue bonds backed by a decades-long charge on ratepayer bills. The charge stays on every bill, with periodic adjustments, only unt...
Ambitious Climate Targets In Boulder Clash With Energy Realities
Just The News, Approved, Local

Ambitious Climate Targets In Boulder Clash With Energy Realities

By Kevin Killough | Just the News Boulder, Colorado is suing oil companies for climate change and setting aggressive emission-reductions target. A Just the News analysis shows the city is unlikely to reach either of those goals, but the city says it's not backing down. When it comes to anti-fossil fuel policies, few cities have pursued them with as much gusto as Boulder, Colorado. In 2006, Boulder became one of the first local governments in the nation to adopt emission reduction targets. Then in 2019, the city went into a full-blown panic over emissions, declared a “climate emergency,” and exponentially increased its targets. While progressive cities feel good setting targets to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, achieving those targets is another thing entirely.&nb...
Colorado Regulators Approve Xcel Renewable Buildout But Warn of Rising Costs
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Regulators Approve Xcel Renewable Buildout But Warn of Rising Costs

By: Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun Colorado’s largest power provider is rushing to start before federal tax credits expire that could shave up to 50% from building expenses. Aiming to get energy generation and storage projects started before federal tax credits expire, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 28 approved an expedited list of 1,700 megawatts of projects for Xcel Energy. Still, the commission expressed reservations about the cost and operating efficiency of so many projects and wants more data and analysis. “It doesn’t feel right to me,” PUC Chairman Eric Blank said. “I treat customer money like my own money. … I am looking for a little certainty that we are not going to deeply regret this.” The Trump administration’s tax and spend...
Federal Order Delays Closure of Craig Power Plant as Energy Debate Intensifies
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Order Delays Closure of Craig Power Plant as Energy Debate Intensifies

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette The Trump administration’s energy agency has ordered one of three generating units at a Colorado power plant to remain available for operation amid an impending shutdown of the station and its supplying coal mines. The move is one of the latest attempts by the White House to revive coal production in the U.S. following President Donald Trump’s promise to “unleash” American energy. In Colorado, Democrats and their allies have prioritized moving away from fossil-fired energy in favor of solar and wind power in their campaign to get to net “zero” carbon emissions in a few decades, arguing it is good for people’s health and the environment. Republicans and others have argued that the transition is happening too quickly, with little rega...

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