Boulder-Xcel, AQCC, COGCC Updates, and More! |
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Boulder-Xcel Franchise Agreement Update
The Boulder-Xcel franchise agreement passed its third reading at the city council meeting on September 1 and will appear on the Boulder city ballot this November as Ordinance 8410.Accompanying it is a settlement agreement that, if the ballot measure passes and is approved by the PUC, will halt litigation between Boulder and Xcel.
Now that the ballot measure is official, Empower Our Future is discussing a campaign to vote NO on the measure and Clean Energy Action will be spreading the word on how you can take part as information becomes available.
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AQCC Update
Facing a lawsuit from Wild Earth Guardians for reportedly missing its deadline to issue draft rules, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) launched the schedule for Colorado’s GHG reduction rulemaking. The process will draft new rules to comply with two bills passed in the 2019 legislative session: HB 1261, set to reduce GHG levels to 90% by 2050, and SB 96, which created a requirement to launch a rulemaking to “cost-effectively allow the state to meet its GHG goals.” The AQCC will discuss public comment and rule amendments at the September 17th and 18th meetings. Colorado legislators and spokespeople share agreement that the hearings will be complex.
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COGCC Update
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), continues rulemaking hearings to consider changes to its rules and internal mission in accordance with SB 181, also passed in 2019. In a letter shared by 350 Colorado from the sponsors of SB 181, Colorado legislators provided critical feedback to the COGCC about the development of the hearings. The letter emphasized that the rules should prioritize the protection of public health and safety through oil well setbacks and other measures. Recordings of rulemaking hearings may be seen on YouTube.
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Power Outages on the Coasts
Utilities on both coasts have struggled to provide electricity to their customers during extreme weather this summer. In California, summer heat waves have resulted in very high demand that has continued after the sun goes down and solar production stops. The result has been rolling blackouts for the investor-owned utilities in the state. Part of the problem is that as gas peaker plants have been shut down for economic and environmental reasons, battery storage and other clean solutions have not replaced them quickly enough. Some argue that the utilties have had the ability to deploy the California PUC's mandated 3,300 megawatts of clean resources more quickly but failed to do so. In contrast, municipal utilities have been able to avoid blackouts and microgrids have been credited for reducing load and avoiding additional blackouts as well.
Similarly, on the East Coast, 6.4 million lost power during tropical storm Isaias. Among the outages were 700 critical facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, and water and sewage systems. The region experienced very similar outages in 2018 after hurricane Sandy; unfortunately, grid reliability and restoration times were generally no better in 2020. One bright spot is that many microgrids, including the Hartford Airport, were able to keep their lights on. State governments continue to invest in microgrid development to improve the area's resilience.
While Colorado has not been plagued by outages this year, it has been hit by hot, dry conditions and record wildfires. Xcel Energy has submitted a proposal to spend $344 million on fire mitigation.
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FERC Reverses Determination on Exit Fee Jurisdiction
The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) claims that it has exclusive jurisdiction over Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association's member exit fees, reversing a decision from March. The decision takes jurisdiction away from the Colorado PUC, which was in the process of determining exit fees for two member co-ops, La Plata Electric Association and United Power. The member co-ops seek an exit option from the co-op in order to pursue a cleaner energy mix for their constituents.
The decision will likely be challenged in court. Tri-State added a non-cooperative member, California-based gas supplier Mieco, in September, 2019 in order to fall under FERC jurisdiction, which could be illegal under Colorado law. Read more about this ongoing story HERE.
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What We Are Reading
Oil giants help fund powerful police groups in top US cities
Some of America’s largest oil and gas companies, private utilities, and financial institutions that bankroll fossil fuels also back police foundations – opaque private entities that raise money to pay for training, weapons, equipment, and surveillance technology for departments across the US. Click HERE to read more.
Debate intensifies about the value of rooftop solar to their owners and burden on other utility customers
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has released a report suggesting that the value of rooftop solar is substantially lower than retail rates and that paying rooftop owners retail shifts costs to others, which disproportionately affects low-income customers. Vote Solar believes that the study is flawed, stating that the value of avoided greenhouse gases alone almost brings rooftop solar up to retail rates. Read more HERE.
Microgrids and energy-as-a-service as
a means to energy equity
Some studies have shown that disadvantaged communities pay as much as 25-30% of income on energy costs. As energy costs rise and reliability deteriorates, it affects those that can least afford it the most. It is vitally important to consider alternatives, including microgrids and energy-as-a-service to provide lower cost energy to marginalized communities.
Another sign that coal is on its way out
Peabody Energy, the world’s largest privately owned coal company and the biggest U.S. coal producer, has finally acknowledged a long-apparent reality: Thermal coal mines in the U.S. have little value anymore and not much of a future.
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Meet Outreach Director
Alison Burchell
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Alison Burchell is a founding member of Clean Energy Action and has served tirelessly on the board since its inception. She recently transitioned to a position as the Outreach Director and will be collaborating with other organizations to continue to move Clean Energy Action toward our goal of a fossil-free energy future.
Alison is a professional geologist with a dual B.S. in Chemistry and Environmental Planning and graduate degrees in Volcanology and Isotope-Geochemistry. Following a Fellowship with the U.S. Dept. of Interior and US Geological Survey, she established a private consulting practice on issues including: crustal processes, reef and wetland preservation, land-reclamation, siting analysis for renewable energy projects and stakeholder facilitation. She also holds advanced certificates in Multispectral and Radar Remote Sensing Analysis, Database Design, GIS, Scuba and EPA hazardous materials detection and sampling.Her current research is focused on understanding and quantifying the mechanisms and kinetics of natural biologic, geologic, chemical and physical processes by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored in terrestrial sinks. This work has led her towards an integrative, bio-geo-mimicry approach to researching and understanding complex terrestrial problems. This systems-integrated research and her involvement with a variety of stakeholder groups has influenced a Collaborative Impact approach towards helping communities, businesses and boards achieve their sustainability goals. Since moving to Boulder, she has served on several state and local working-groups and non-profit boards tasked with promoting public education, developing public policy or modeling and mitigating a range of environmental problems. She is a member of the City of Boulder – Energy Future Task Force and co-founder of Clean Energy Action, Renewables Yes and Empower Our Future – a broad coalition of citizens, businesses, elected and former officials and organizations working to promote the Boulder Clean Energy Future project and moving to assist other communities assess their own clean energy options.
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