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Polis greenlights nuclear power as Colorado rejects “Green New Deal”
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis greenlights nuclear power as Colorado rejects “Green New Deal”

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff After years of progressive opposition to nuclear energy, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed House Bill 25-1040 into law, officially recognizing nuclear power as part of the state’s clean energy portfolio.  The move—driven by bipartisan support and grassroots pressure—marks a turning point for Colorado’s energy future, and a long-overdue recognition that nuclear energy must be on the table to meet rising power demands and stabilize the grid. The new law adds nuclear energy to the list of technologies eligible for clean energy incentives and financing, aligning it with solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen. While HB1040 does not mandate nuclear projects, it opens the door for utilities and private companies to begin investing in advanced nucl...
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Colorado moves toward a nuclear future as energy demands skyrocket
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado moves toward a nuclear future as energy demands skyrocket

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff Colorado is at an energy crossroads, and House Bill 25-1040 is now sitting on Governor Jared Polis' desk, awaiting his decision. The bill, which recognizes nuclear energy as part of the state's clean energy portfolio, has gained rare bipartisan support—but the real question is whether Polis will cave to radical environmentalists or side with the majority of Coloradans who support nuclear energy. With the Craig Station Power Plant set to close and electricity demand expected to double by 2050, leaders across the state are finally acknowledging what conservatives have long championed: nuclear energy is the most efficient, clean and sustainable path forward. But will Polis let that happen? Despite past resistance, HB 1040 passed with support from both si...
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HB 1040, adding nuclear to state’s clean energy definitions, gains bipartisan support
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1040, adding nuclear to state’s clean energy definitions, gains bipartisan support

'If Colorado wants to boost our economy, this is a serious conversation to have' — Rep. Ty Winter By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice A proposal to include nuclear energy in two statutory definitions of clean energy has passed the Colorado House on second reading. House Bill 25-1040 is a bipartisan measure by Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver, and Ty Winter, R-Las Animas, with the goal of adding nuclear to "clean energy" definitions, enabling financing. "This does not bring nuclear energy to Colorado," Valdez said, who founded one of Colorado's largest and now defunct solar energy companies in 2008. "This designates it as clean energy." The bill would include nuclear, in definition, alongside solar, wind and other clean energy. "If Colorado wants to boost our economy, this is...
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For the first time, Colorado legislators push forward a bill to boost nuclear energy
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

For the first time, Colorado legislators push forward a bill to boost nuclear energy

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance After years of dismissing the idea of promoting nuclear-energy development in Colorado, some legislative Democrats are coming around on it — and late Thursday, they joined with Republicans for the first time to advance a bill that would incentivize the energy source. House Bill 1040 would redefine nuclear energy as a clean energy, which in turn would make nuclear projects eligible for special clean-energy project financing and would allow utilities to include them in their minimum mandatory clean-energy portfolio. It passed the House Energy & Environment Committee by an 8-5 vote after a lengthy hearing and goes next to the full House for debate. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE SUM & SUBSTANCE
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Rapid rise in projected energy demand has ushered U.S. into its Nuclear Era
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Approved, National, Real Clear Politics

Rapid rise in projected energy demand has ushered U.S. into its Nuclear Era

By Sarah Rosa , Benton Arnett | Real Clear Energy Nuclear energy has made headline after headline lately, with the latest announcement coming from Amazon and X-energy regarding their partnership to deploy more than 5 GW of next-generation nuclear energy — the largest commercial deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) to date. With a rapid rise in projected electricity demand and ambitious climate targets ahead, it is no surprise that nuclear energy is the focus of many private-sector investments.  The announcement from Amazon and X-energy comes after several groundbreaking announcements from other leading corporations. Earlier this month, the world’s largest banks came together to pledge their support for nuclear energy. Soon after, Google announced its agreement to purchase powe...
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Northwest Colorado open to prospect of nuclear power generation, survey says
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Northwest Colorado open to prospect of nuclear power generation, survey says

By Lindy J. Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice With the impending closure of the Craig and Hayden Power Stations, the closing of the coal mines in Northwest Colorado and the state and federal push to rid the area of traditional fossil fuel base load generation,  Rio Blanco, Moffat, and Routt county governments are trying to figure out how to replace the imminent job loss, revenue loss and tax loss that are certain to devastate their local governments and the residents in those communities that have relied on a fossil fuel economy for decades. To that end, Northwest Colorado energy Initiative (NCEI) was formed under the auspice of Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) to educate and survey area residents concerning the possibility of bringing nuclear power gene...
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Sloan: Do we all – Democrats and Republicans – like nuclear now?
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Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Sloan: Do we all – Democrats and Republicans – like nuclear now?

By Kelly Sloan | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice We have not been afforded any authoritative glimpses into the proposed energy policies of either Mr. Trump or Ms. Harris, leaving us with only the conventional jousting positions with which to make comparisons. For Democrats, that generally means concerns over climate change exceeding every other consideration – meaning the minimizing of the use of oil and gas; for Republicans, it generally means strengthening national energy posture – meaning maximizing production of domestic supplies of oil and gas.  Those battle lines seem relatively inelastic and are expected to hold; but an interesting evolution has been quietly taking place on the left side of the aisle, and I’m not talking about Harris’ new-found appreciation of frackin...
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Rosinski: Supporting Colorado’s coal communities with nuclear power
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rosinski: Supporting Colorado’s coal communities with nuclear power

By Michelle Rosinski | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As Colorado grapples with increasing energy demands and the urgent need to move away from coal to meet environmental and health goals, the question arises: how can we ensure that this transition provides economic opportunities and stability for coal-dependent communities?  For decades, the American working class has borne the brunt of energy transitions. From coal miners to oil rig workers, shifts in energy policy have often led to job losses and economic instability. As we move toward a cleaner future, it is imperative that we avoid repeating these mistakes.  Nuclear energy, particularly advanced small modular reactors (SMRs), presents a viable solution that can facilitate a just transition away from coal, ensuring...
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