Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine has made it abundantly clear that our fossil fuel-dependent economy jeopardizes our national security as hostile foreign leaders weaponize their energy resources. Similarly, the rapidly intensifying climate crisis, which is causing widespread disruption with no place on earth escaping the impacts of rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather, […]
renewable energy
Posted inEnergy
“It’s our new cash crop”: A land rush for renewable energy is transforming the Eastern Plains
A race to meet state climate goals — and to get expiring federal tax credits along the way — has led to a flurry of wind and solar activity.
Posted inNews
Dam of questions breaks around hydropower plan for one-of-a-kind canyon in western Colorado
UNAWEEP DIVIDE — The honey bees are over there, by the organic garden. The peregrines nest up on the cliffs. A mess of metates — Native American grinding stones — are over in the dense pinion. Every winter the elk gather in the meadow below the granite cliffs. There’s a table up in those cliffs, […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Independence from oil will bring “energy independence” from Russia
Ten years before Russia invaded Ukraine, Clifford Krauss, writing in the New York Times, assured readers “US Inches Toward Goal of Energy Independence.” More recently, in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, America’s oil and gas industry, never one to let an international humanitarian crisis go unexploited, saw the chance to refresh its recurring initiative […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
After long battle, 3 Colorado electric co-ops may renegotiate with Tri-State instead of leaving outright
In the jockeying for a new relationship between Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and the rural cooperatives it supplies with electricity, three Colorado co-ops are seeking partial contracts with the power wholesaler — instead of leaving outright. Tri-State and some of its cooperatives have been battling over the association’s long-term contract, which requires members to […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado law should give geothermal energy equal standing with other renewables
Geothermal energy taps into natural subsurface heat to generate clean, reliable 24/7 electricity. This renewable energy source could have a huge impact on the fight against climate change in Colorado and around the world. So why isn’t geothermal treated as favorably as wind and solar in Colorado’s energy and environmental laws and regulations? That’s a […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News
United Power should be able to leave Tri-State for less than a tenth of a proposed $1.6B exit fee, federal report says
In the running battle over how much a suburban Denver electric cooperative must pay to leave the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the co-op picked up some ammunition in a report by a federal energy economist that calls the association’s exit fee calculations flawed and unreasonable. The exit fee for Brighton-based United Power should be […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, Equity, News, Politics and Government
Xcel Energy rate hikes would raise utility bills up to $18 per month. And they’re not done yet.
Xcel Energy is seeking $950 million in natural gas and electricity rate increases that would raise the average residential utility bill $16.49 by the end of this year with the increase climbing to $18.32 by 2023. Three proposed rate hikes — one for electricity, one for natural gas and one to recoup money from a […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News
Unaweep Canyon is central to Xcel Energy’s big plans for renewable energy production in Colorado
Xcel Energy has a low-tech plan for creating clean power in one of Colorado’s geologic wonders. As Colorado’s largest utility, with 1.5 million electricity customers, pushes toward its goal of delivering 100% carbon-free power by 2050, the company is seeking federal approval for the state’s largest hydropower project on the Western Slope in Unaweep Canyon […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: 3 lessons from the energy crisis
The recent tightening of energy markets and ensuing price spikes are being felt globally. These conditions are driven by a multitude of factors related to fossil fuel demand and supply. Fingers are being pointed at producers, at the transition to clean energy sources, and at government. The blame game is overly simplistic, and helps no […]