Image by Colorado Sierra Club
Last year, we made history in Colorado (and the country!) by leveraging our movement for a 100% clean energy future to lock in the retirement of two coal units in Pueblo, Colorado. We used our people power to influence the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and Xcel Energy to bring about the Colorado Energy Plan and it was 100% epic.
In order to make the Colorado Energy Plan happen, we elevated the personal stories of thousands of Coloradans, like yourself, by sending almost 3,000 messages to Xcel asking them to retire their coal, replace it with renewable energy (not gas!), and work with labor leaders to plan a just transition for impacted workers and communities. We also helped submit over 8,000 public comments to the PUC -- an all-time record -- asking them to approve the Colorado Energy Plan.
Thankfully, after hearing rooms were packed with hundreds of people and inboxes were filled with thousands of public comments, the PUC heard us and approved the Colorado Energy Plan that brought a historic amount of wind, solar, and battery storage technology to our state! But as monumental as the Colorado Energy plan is, we still have some serious work to do. We still have too many coal plants polluting our state and the climate clock is ticking.
Help Us Make History Again by Passing Legislation to Accelerate Our Clean Energy Transition
So what now? This spring, we can make history again by rewriting the way the PUC operates to bring about more clean energy plans! We can do this RIGHT NOW with legislation called the PUC Sunset Bill (Senate Bill 236)!
Here’s what we think the PUC needs in this legislation to be more equipped to move Colorado off of coal before it’s too late:
- Use of a “Social Cost of Carbon” in all utility energy spending to account for the cumulative, costly impacts of burning fossil fuels in Colorado communities. From wildfires to hailstorms to decreased snowpack, climate change is already a huge and expensive threat to our state. Accounting for the real cost of climate disasters resulting from carbon pollution, which is not currently reflected in our electricity bills, will help guide utilities to bring more clean energy to our state! It’s time we stop subsidizing the fossil fuel companies in our state and make sure they account to the damage they cause to our climate, our health, and our economy.
- Fair and just transition planning for impacted workers. The PUC Sunset Review Bill should require utilities to support, the fossil fuel workers whose livelihoods are changing in this clean energy transition. This would help vulnerable communities move away from harmful fossil fuel economies, while still having secure futures for their families and communities.
- Access to clean, affordable energy for ALL Coloradans. Right now, there is a coal-obsessed electricity provider called Tri-State that powers rural communities in 30% of the state, but Tri-State doesn't have to have its long-term energy plans reviewed by the PUC, like other utilities. Without the consumer protections of the PUC, rural Coloradans are paying almost 30% more for their electricity because of excessive reliance on expensive coal and bad company decisions. The PUC Sunset Bill should be amended to include a provision requiring PUC oversight to ensure increased transparency and accountability for Tri-State’s resource planning.
That said, it’s time to rally the troops again to retire coal and bring more clean energy jobs to our state! State leaders will be considering these changes over the next couple of weeks and they need to hear from us again.
When we look back at everything we have accomplished, from Colorado legislation in 2010 that retired an urban Denver coal plant, to Denver’s ‘Ready for 100%’ commitment in 2018, and the Colorado Energy Plan, it’s clear our movement is made up of moments that make a real difference. This is one of them. Let’s not let it slip by -- contact your legislators today.
You can submit written comments here.
You can also call your legislators, find their contact information here.