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America’s Energy Boom Provides Strategic Shield Amid Middle East Turmoil
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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...
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Xcel Reports $903 Million Colorado Profit While Seeking Higher Electric And Gas Rates
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Xcel Reports $903 Million Colorado Profit While Seeking Higher Electric And Gas Rates

By Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun On Feb. 18, the PUC also approved 4,100 MW of new generation — a mix of wind, solar, natural gas and storage — to be fast-tracked in an effort to get federal tax credits before they expire. The proposed gas rate increase would raise gas customers’ bills by an average $7.59 to $74.41 a month to pay for safety improvements, meet rising operating and maintenance costs and provide investor returns. The electricity rate increase Xcel Energy is seeking would raise bills about 10% to $110 a month to recover infrastructure investments, operating costs and lost revenue sources. “Enough is enough. Coloradans are being crushed under the weight of gas and power bills that get bigger every year,” Sarah Tresedder, senior climate and energy o...
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Denver Opens Door To Energy Code Changes That Could Reach Single Family Homes
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Opens Door To Energy Code Changes That Could Reach Single Family Homes

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Denver launched a public process on Feb. 26 to update its energy code for new and renovated small buildings, including single-family homes and duplexes, that would extend efficiency and electrification-readiness standards that began with energy compliance goals for large commercial and multifamily buildings in 2023. Denver’s 2021 Energize Denver ordinance required energy benchmarking and reductions for structures with 25,000 square feet or more. As early as 2022, builders predicted the rules would raise housing costs and eventually reach single-family homes and duplexes. In 2023, Laura Schwartz, spokesperson for Denver Community Planning and Development, told The Denver Gazette that “residential single-family homeowners ...
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Colorado Regulators Approve Xcel Renewable Buildout But Warn of Rising Costs
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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...
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Report Warns Renewable Mandates Could Cost New England Ratepayers Hundreds of Billions
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Boston Herald, Approved, National

Report Warns Renewable Mandates Could Cost New England Ratepayers Hundreds of Billions

By Tim Dunn | Boston Herald The study found Bay State ratepayers would bear the highest costs in New England for renewable energy plans. A new study has found that New England ratepayers would save an estimated $400-$700 billion by replacing planned offshore wind and solar projects in the region with natural gas and nuclear power. The study, Alternatives to New England’s Energy Affordability Crisis, estimated the economic effects of meeting the region’s energy needs through 2050 with nuclear and natural gas plants, modeling the cost of energy portfolios in the six New England states to reflect the result of decarbonization plans in the Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE). “New Englanders are being asked to bankroll an energy experiment tha...
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Counties told to fix energy policy they didn’t create: Mesa commissioner pushes back
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

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 contr...
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Xcel Seeks Gas Rate Hike as Colorado Customers Face Rising Utility Costs
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Xcel Seeks Gas Rate Hike as Colorado Customers Face Rising Utility Costs

By Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun Colorado consumer advocate says second rate-increase request in a quarter is testing the will of customers and the Public Utilities Commission. Xcel Energy is aiming to raise its gas customers’ bills by an average $7.59 a month — for a total of $190 million — to pay for safety improvements, rising operating and maintenance costs and investor returns. The company filed the proposed rate hike with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Monday. The rate request comes a little more than a month after Xcel Energy filed for a $356 million electric rate increase, which would raise the average residential electric bill 10% to $110 a month. In late November, the PUC also approved a $155 million plan to deal wi...
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Lawmakers demand Polis reverse electrification push after shutoffs
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Lawmakers demand Polis reverse electrification push after shutoffs

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers are pressing Gov. Jared Polis to reverse course on electrification after recent power shutoffs raised fresh concerns about grid reliability and public safety. “We write to express grave concerns over your administration’s aggressive push for statewide unfunded electrification mandates,” the lawmakers wrote in a Dec. 23 letter. “This agenda, driven by crony politics and excused by nonscience climate alarmism, favors select industries at the expense of Colorado families and businesses.” They warn the state’s energy agenda “is economically harmful and endangers lives by further straining an already fragile electric grid.” The letter was signed by Reps. Ken DeGraaf (HD-22), Brandi Bradley (HD-39), Scott Botto...
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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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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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