CEA joins the Regenerative Recovery Coalition, Boulder and Xcel discuss franchise agreements, and much more!
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CEA Joins the
Regenerative Recovery Coalition
The Regenerative Recovery Coalition is a collaborative effort led by The Alliance Center, Natural Capitalism Solutions, and Greener Solutions in partnership with the Colorado Governor's Office to craft a sustainable and equitable recovery for the state. You can find out more about it on their
website.
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Association Files with FERC to
Weaken Net Metering
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Net metering is the financial mechanism that allows rooftop solar and other distributed energy owners to sell their electricity back to the utility.
The petition states that state-specific NEM compensation violates federal powers, and that NEM should be subject to wholesale pricing mechanisms, under jurisdiction of FERC. This would disrupt the state regulators' ability to manage local renewable pricing and goals. Over 100 comments oppose the petition. Industry experts believe that while this petition could have significant negative impact on small renewable generation, it likely will not pass.
You can view the docket by visiting the
FERC docket library
and searching for docket "EL20-42."
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Colorado Legislative Review
The 2020 Colorado legislative session ended June 15 after three weeks back in session. While many environmental bills were abandoned in light of COVID-19 and social justice issues, Gov. Polis did sign several interesting energy and environment bills. Despite budget constraints, legislation passed this session will help achieve; increased air and water quality regulation; increased consumer service disconnection protections (i.e. keeping electricity on during COVID); incentives for residential EV and efficiency development; support for recycling market development; and extended coal and water advisory board terms.
- SB20-204 - Additional Resources To Protect Air Quality: This bill protects public health from dangerous air emissions by ensuring that environmental regulations are enforced, including measures to eliminate the statutory fee cap and direct the commission to increase fees by a 25% minimum.
- HB20-1143 - Environmental Justice And Projects Increase Environmental Fines: This bill holds polluters accountable by raising the daily state fines for air and water violations, and gives the Attorney General and local District Attorneys more authority to enforce violations.
- HB20-1119 - Protecting Groundwater from Harmful PFAS Chemicals: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, or PFAS, are chemical substances in firefighting foam that are harmful to public health. This bill creates clear guidelines for the usage, testing and disposal of PFAS foam to limit exposure to firefighters and contamination of our groundwater.
- SB20-030 - Consumer Protections For Utility Customers: This bill increases protections for customers of investor-owned utilities regarding disconnections, exemptions for medical equipment, and the impact of rate changes on low-income customers.
- HB20-1155 - Higher Efficiency New Construction Residence: This bill requires newly-constructed residences to accommodate EV charging stations and heating efficiency programs, opening opportunities for more efficient buildings.
- HB20-1208 - Sunset Coal Mine Board Of Examiners: This bill prevents the expiration of the coal mine board of examiners, ensuring that coal mines will continue to be regulated.
- SB20-055 - Incentivize Development of Recycling End Market: The department of public health and environment will convene a stakeholder group to investigate the development of a recycling market development center in the state. The department will also develop a recycling education campaign for Coloradans, to be launched “as soon as practical.”
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Boulder and Xcel Continue
Franchise Discussions
Boulder City Council recently held four informational sessions regarding entering into a franchise agreement with Xcel Energy. Those sessions can be viewed
HERE.
The talks have not provided any evidence that Boulder would be able to meet its ambitious climate goals any faster with Xcel; on the contrary, it would likely hold Boulder back. One of the biggest drawbacks to a franchise with Xcel is the emergence of competition in Colorado. Guzman Energy has closed several deals with western utilities to provide more renewable energy at lower cost than they were paying previously,
most recently with the city of Fountain CO.
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What We Are Reading
Colorado Springs will shut down its two coal-fired plants by 2030. Now it’s time for Xcel to do the same, environmentalists say.
The Colorado Springs Utilities board voted to close their two coal-fired plants
16 years earlier than previously scheduled, one in 2023 and the other in 2030, which leaves Xcel Energy the only utility in the state with coal-fired plants slated to run beyond 2030. Xcel plans to close the second of the Hayden Generating Station's two units by 2036, Pawnee Generating Station by 2041, and Unit 3 at the Comanche Generating Station in 2070. Other Utilities that have committed to closing coal-fired plants by 2030 include, but are not limited to, the Platte River Power Authority and the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.
Utilities are now skipping the gas 'bridge' to
transition from coal to renewables
Utilities in Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado (Colorado Springs) are
replacing coal plants with a mix of solar and wind generation and battery storage.
While the utilities above are skipping the gas bridge, it is still being invested in heavily elsewhere. This continued natural gas investment runs the risk of creating stranded assets, which would waste money and resources, and could put added costs onto ratepayers.
According to an analysis of a 2019 report from Bloomberg
, the top 10 energy companies are planning investments in gas approaching $1 trillion by 2030. It notes that if governments “make good on tough targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions” much of that infrastructure could become abandoned.
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Meet CEA Communications Director Christopher Warren
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Christopher Warren has lived his whole life in Colorado, both on the Western Slope and the Front Range. He received a BFA in Film Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2013. He currently works full time as an artist, focusing on sculptures and murals that reinterpret and analyze topographic data. His mural works can be seen in Denver's Mission Ballroom, in the NoBo Arts District in Boulder, on the Grand Junction Convention Center, and elsewhere. He is represented by Walker Fine Arts in Denver, where his sculptural works can be viewed. Most of his works can also be seen on his website,
www.BeatnikPrints.com
.
When not making art, Warren enjoys spending time with his 14-year-old black lab Elliott, planning trips in southern Utah to find undiscovered arches, and helping to de-carbonize Colorado's electricity grid.
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Connect with CEA on social media
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