Environment
Environment
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.
Coalition demands fence line monitors, tougher caps at Suncor to protect Colorado communities
Activists and legislators from Denver and Pueblo want the state to put teeth into environmental justice for communities of color.
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.
Avalanche danger remains high in the West, 32 deaths confirmed this season
The accidents have involved different recreational activities — snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, hiking. And experts warn backcountry conditions are not improving.
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
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.
Environmental attorney from Denver to lead Bureau of Land Management
Nada Culver will effectively run the agency for the short term, replacing former BLM director William Perry Pendley
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.
1st clone of endangered species, a black-footed ferret, is “holding her own” in Fort Collins
10-week-old Elizabeth Ann is being raised at a Fish and Wildlife Service black-footed ferret breeding facility in Fort Collins. She's a genetic copy of a ferret named Willa who died in 1988.
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
U.S. Forest Service rethinks road through public lands to ritzy Vail Valley development
Following objections to Berlaimont Estates, the White River National Forest’s supervisor must scrutinize the impacts of 19 luxury homes on the broader landscape
Northern Colorado has its own backcountry ski patrollers. And they’re busier than ever.
Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol celebrates 30 years negotiating complicated terrain, boundaries and avalanche risk near Cameron Pass
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.
