History - Beyond Coal
For over 10 years the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign has been fighting to retire coal plants, prevent new fossil fuel plants from being built, and working to stop the expansion of fracked gas. The impact and grassroots efforts were positive and resulted in the closing of coal plants throughout Colorado and set retirement dates for others. Yet today, as we are facing Trump administration executive orders to force coal plants to stay open, lawmakers, utilities, and other entities are also trying to back out of their commitments to retire dirty and expensive coal plants. This increases utility costs for ratepayers (you), pollutes our air, and perpetuates health issues.
Trump’s Federal 202(c) Orders & Craig 1
In Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the Department of Energy (DOE) requires power plants to operate during an acute energy emergency, like war or in the face of extreme weather events that cause temporary, immediate fuel shortages. In 2025, Trump’s DOE used this authority in four states to keep five fossil fuel facilities online past their planned retirement dates, despite showing no evidence of any potential shortage of energy.
On December 30, 2025, an initial 202(c) order was issued for the Craig Unit 1 coal plant in Craig, Colorado, just one day before the plant was set to be retired. At the time the first order was issued, the Craig plant was damaged and offline. Craig Unit 1 is an older unit and lacks air pollution controls for nitrogen oxides that modern plants have been required to install to protect communities from harmful coal emissions. Forcing the Craig coal plant to stay open means costly repairs, as well as ongoing extra costs of approximately $218,467 per day, which could be passed back to ratepayers in the rural communities the plant serves. DOE issued a second order on March 30, 2026 preventing Craig Unit 1 from closing.
The targeted facilities are aging, expensive to run, and ill-suited to meet the reliability concerns cited as justification for their continued operation. Further, the stipulations of a 202(c) order allow facilities to disregard air quality emissions and other pollution limits while they run, spewing poisonous air into local communities.
The Ray Nixon Plant
In 2020, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) agreed to retire the Ray Nixon coal plant by the end of 2029. Yet, as of March 2026, CSU is attempting to delay this retirement and pushing to keep the plant open for possibly another 14 years, until 2040. Due to having a set retirement date, CSU has been allowed to operate the Nixon without modern pollution controls. This means, if Nixon is able to continue operating, residents in the area would face polluted air quality from carbon dioxide and other pollutants spewing from the plant. It could also lead to increased utility costs due to having to modernize.
CSU is actively working to slow the progress we have made as a state, back out of their commitment to ratepayers, continuing to pollute the environment, and perpetuating health issues of Coloradans.
Pueblo’s Comanche 2 and 3 & the Hayden Units
In Pueblo, the Comanche 2 was set to be retired at the end of 2025 with the Comanche 3 continuing operations and retiring by January 1, 2031. Due to the Comanche 3’s unreliability, Xcel Energy is now suggesting to keep both the Comanche 2 and 3 online. Xcel has stated they do not see how they can operate without the Comanche 3. Similarly, Xcel recently discussed the possibility of keeping both of its Hayden, Colorado coal-fired units operating beyond their retirement dates (scheduled for 2027 and 2028). By June 2026, Xcel will file an application at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission regarding what to do with Comanche 2 and 3.
Why This Matters
These facilities are aging, expensive to run, and ill-suited to meet reliability concerns. Keeping them operating will financially impact everyday Coloradans while also damaging our environment, worsening the air we breathe, and exacerbating health issues. These power plants increase pollution in our air and waterways by emitting sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other toxic chemicals. The health consequences of these pollutants can impact children, older adults, and those with pre-existing conditions.
How We’re Fighting Back
The Colorado Sierra Club is fighting back at home, in our communities, and at the Capitol. In February 2026, we supported House Bill 26-1226 which protects Colorado utility customers, air quality, and clean energy plans in the wake of the Trump Department of Energy’s 202(c) orders. You can send a message to your Representatives telling them to vote yes on HB26-1226 today.
We are creating a YOU-tilities Campaign which will help make utility accountability less wonky, inaccessible, and complicated. It will help break down those barriers and make public participation engaging while focusing on what we (aka YOU!) can do and advocate for. We are speaking out and telling Xcel Energy it is time to prioritize ratepayers, not their shareholders.
We are using grassroots efforts to create impactful volunteer networks and committees you can join today. You can also write a Letter to the Editor or disseminate important updates and events on social media platforms, along with signing up to receive our newsletter to actively stay informed.
Colorado has made considerable progress toward our climate goals over the last decade. We cannot let massive corporations and the Federal government take us backwards and interfere in our clean energy future.
Interactive map of coal in Colorado
