This month we'll summarize what we have accomplished so far and outline what lies ahead of us as Colorado moves toward a post-fossil fuel world. 
We've Come a Long Way!!

When Clean Energy Action began about 15 years ago, Colorado's two top electricity providers were determined to build large coal plants and continue to invest in fossil fuel generation, adding millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and oceans and standing in the way of using Colorado's abundant wind, solar, water and other renewable resources.

Now, after the 2019 Legislative Session, Colorado is largely "turned around" and helping to lead the transition to a low-carbon future. 84% of Colorado citizens support state and federal action on climate change and 79% support a 100% renewable energy policy.
 
While we continue to focus on electricity, which will persist as   Colorado's  largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for some time, we are pleased to see Colorado moving forward on the other two main sources of climate pollution; transportation and heating.

Much remains to be done, but our State is setting goals to cover all sources of greenhouse gas emissions and Clean Energy Action will be doing our part to accelerate these essential and beneficial transitions.

If you'd like to discuss how you can help accelerate the transition to the post-fossil fuel world, please contact  info@cleanenergyaction.org .

Key Accomplishments of Colorado's Clean Energy Movement


Colorado's Largest Utility Committed to Deep Decarbonization

After years of work by Clean Energy Action supporters and allies, Colorado's largest utility, Xcel Energy, is committed to a (relatively) rapid and deep decarbonization, committing to 80% carbon reduction by 2030 and aspiring to a 100% reduction by 2050 as outlined in their Spring 2019 carbon reduction report. This is a monumental accomplishment that is reverberating throughout the US utility industry.
Oil and Gas New Regulatory Scheme (SB19-181)

On April 16, 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis  signed SB19-181  into law.  SB19-181  shifts the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission  (COGCC)  primary mandate from one of fostering the oil and gas industry to one that prioritizes public health and safety and the environment, and provides local governments with increased control over the regulation of oil and gas operations in their jurisdictions. Governor Polis has  appointed the new members  of the COGCC who are tasked with  developing new rules  governing the oil and gas industry. This is another landmark shift in Colorado's approach to oil and gas developments.

State Legislature Passes Strong Climate Goals (HB19-1261)

Colorado's 2019 Legislature made history when it passed HB19-1261 setting a strong set of climate goals-a 26% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution by 2025, 50% reduction in GHG pollution by 2030 and a 90% reduction by 2050-all compared to 2005 levels. The Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) is charged with leading the effort to write the necessary rules to achieve these goals, and we can be sure that industry lobbyists will be in full attendance at every meeting. If Colorado is to achieve the best possible outcomes it will be critical to have steady and informed citizen involvement through this process.

Colorado Public Utility Commission Reauthorized and Redirected

The  Colorado Public Utilities Commission  (PUC) was up for reauthorization in 2019. When they enacted SB19-236, the State Legislature emphasized that they wanted the PUC to change the way that Colorado's investor-owned-utilities (IOUs), Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy, are regulated. The PUC is to start including the  "Social Cost of Carbon" in its utility planning, starting with $46/ton in 2020 and escalating from there. The PUC is also directed to review regional markets, performance based regulation, and resource planning at the distribution level. All of this is on top of the current major rewrite of PUC rules in  Docket 19R-0096E.

Legislature Passes a Host of Other Climate and Energy Bills

The 2019 Colorado Legislature passed a host of other climate and energy bills that will help accelerate the transition beyond fossil fuels. To read a general summary of the 2019 Legislative accomplishments on climate and energy see this  Colorado Public Radio story or see  the summary prepared by our allies at the Climate Reality Project.


The Work Ahead

While Colorado has set goals to address greenhouse gas emissions, the real work of achieving those goals now lies ahead. This will involve extensive rule-making proceedings at the PUC, the AQCC and the COGCC-with citizen participation (and stamina!!) necessary to reach the best possible outcomes as Colorado writes "the rules of the game" for moving into the post-carbon world.  

We aim to get Colorado's largest rural provider of electricity,  Tri State Generation and Transmission, moving more quickly towards a clean energy future. Tri State is in the middle of a  Resource Planning effort that Clean Energy Action and others will use to help accelerate Tri State's move away from its heavy dependence on coal generation (71%) and towards using more of the abundant wind and solar in its service territory that stretches from windy Wyoming to sunny New Mexico.

We aim to monitor Xcel's transition to a low-carbon system to ensure that it is done in the most cost-effective and competitive way while bringing the benefits of clean energy to Colorado communities and workers.

Finally, Clean Energy Action and allies will be working hard to develop further priorities for the 2020 Legislative Session. There is support for and likely focus on:
  • (1) reducing dependence on natural gas through a "Clean Heating" initiative, 
  • (2) promoting distributed resources and microgrids, which create pathways for communities to access the abundant wind, solar and storage resources available in Colorado 
  • (3) ensuring that the clean energy transition is maximally competitive and beneficial to Colorado.
To get all of this done and done well, we thank you for your help in some way. Our mission is to educate and empower you to be a part of these policy changes. Together, we will reduce our carbon emissions and accelerate the transition to the post-fossil fuel world!

If you'd like to discuss how you can help accelerate the transition to the post-fossil fuel world, please contact  info@cleanenergyaction.org



What We Are Reading

A new project combining satellite imagery and artificial intelligence will soon allow the public to  track the pollution produced by the world's power plants, in real time

The Colorado PUC now requires   Tri-State to submit its resource plan for commission approval ,  which is a new level of regulatory oversight for the energy producer. 

The trends of global warming are scientifically clear, so clear that in 1982  Exxon accurately predicted our current levels of carbon emissions.


Clean Energy Action | 303-815-6866 | info@cleanenergyaction.org | http://www.cleanenergyaction.org
PO Box 1399
Boulder, CO 80306