Climate
Climate
Recent snowstorms are barely scratching the surface of Colorado’s ongoing drought
The state needed an above-average snow year this winter to reverse the drought’s momentum. Forecasts for the next few months aren’t optimistic, either.
Xcel Energy floats “Power Pathway” plan to bring wind, solar power to cities from rural Colorado
Xcel still needs the blessing of state regulators and the agreement of other Colorado utilities before the $1.7 billion project to build 560 miles of transmission lines proceeds.
Breakdowns, shutdowns and cost overruns plague Xcel’s Comanche 3 coal-fired power plant, investigation finds
Electricity from the state-of-the-art coal-fired power plant near Pueblo costs 45% more than forecast, Colorado Public Utilities Commission reports. Xcel says Comanche will be used as a backup to renewable generation after 2030.
Estimates of future Upper Colorado River Basin water use confound planning, report shows
Maybe it's time to give up on developing new Upper Basin projects, the Center for Colorado River Studies says, after all demand has been flat for three decades.
Satellites, airplanes and lasers are tracking Colorado avalanches
Eye-in-the-sky technology is bringing avalanche science into the 21st century, enabling forecasters with better tools for predicting threats in Colorado’s backcountry.
Xcel plans to double its renewable energy generation by 2030. It’ll cost consumers $8 billion to do it.
Big new solar and wind projects are planned to get Xcel Energy to 80% renewable generation in Colorado, but fossil fuels still will be needed to balance the system.
Suncor refinery neighbors can get warnings and details on chemical leaks sent to phones
The embattled oil and gas industrial site pledges to tell Commerce City, Globeville-Elyria-Swansea and others when new incidents occur through texts and phone alerts
Colorado governor pressures PUC to protect utility customers from storm price surges
“Colorado Ain’t Texas,” Jared Polis’ office says in letter warning about high prices Xcel and others paid during February storms
Wind power cut Xcel Energy’s carbon emissions last year. But is the utility moving fast enough to meet goals?
Colorado’s largest electricity provider expects to have 4,400 MW of wind power by the end of the year. Details are expected in Xcel’s resource plan Wednesday.
Ambitious plan for cap-and-trade greenhouse gas cuts rejected by Colorado Air Quality Control Commission
Environmental Defense Fund and allies want tougher, faster cuts to climate change pollutants, but commissioners and Gov. Jared Polis says the plan is too complex and current rules should get time to work.
First-in-the-nation rule to slash methane emissions from Colorado oil and gas operations relied on compromise
Industry and environmental groups worked out a way to reduce emissions from new wells and old ones that contribute to Colorado’s ozone problem.
Is Colorado’s power grid in shape for a Texas-size storm? Yes, mostly.
Northern Colorado had its own cold-weather challenge Sunday, making it through despite a notice to customers to turn down their thermostats
Governor says Colorado is “bruised, battered and shaken,” but will be built back better than before
The biggest policy proposal Jared Polis introduced during his third State of the State speech, which we annotated, was around taxes
A disillusioned ExxonMobil engineer quit to take action on climate change. He found his net-zero place in Arvada.
After 16 years of working for the oil giant, Dar-Lon Chang said Exxon would not address climate change. So he quit the sector for good, and began a new low-carbon life.
In rural Colorado, one town is looking to its community college to help survive the end of coal
Leaders of Craig see a tight window of opportunity to build a new economic base, provide residents replacement jobs, and ensure the city’s survival.
Colorado wants to put electric vehicle charging stations in every state park. Now it must find funding.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials support environmental groups who want a vast expansion of electrical hookups at the very spots most threatened by climate change
When is clean hydrogen fuel coming for Colorado cars, and who needs to get ready?
Hydrogen pumping stations are all over California and could be in the Denver metro area by the end of this year. Will state lawmakers and industry do the work and provide the incentives to boost zero emissions?
Colorado’s Water Plan has made progress toward ensuring supply, but the work’s far from done
Five years in, accelerating climate change and rapid population growth, not to mention a shortage of funding, have made the Colorado Water Plan's vision for the future more complex.
Stay-at-home order changed the way Coloradans work. But is it improving emissions?
Teleworking may have reduced emissions from automobiles, but researchers say working from home increased household energy consumption by as much as 40%.
