Sumer Shaikh, sumer.shaikh@sierraclub.org, 774-545-0128
Fort Collins, CO -- Yesterday, Sierra Club delivered a community letter to Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) to retire Rawhide coal plant by 2030 in its long-term energy planning. Every four years, PRPA conducts its Integrated Resource Plan, which develops the long-term plans for how PRPA will meet customers’ energy needs. PRPA says it’s committed to powering its service territory in Northern Colorado with 100% carbon-free power by 2030, but the utility remains heavily reliant on coal, projecting to meet half of its customers energy needs with coal by 2021.
More than half of all signatories are local businesses that are concerned about the climate crisis and have petitioned their utility to prioritize the well-being of their communities by transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
“It's extremely important that Northern Colorado becomes a leader in renewable energy in order to stabilize our economy, create local jobs, and create a healthier environment for all of us,” said Ian Skor, Co-Founder of Sandbox Solar in Fort Collins.
The letter, available to read below, states: “As northern Colorado community leaders, businesses, churches, and organizations, we thank you for committing PRPA to a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030. Moving swiftly to a clean energy economy is an essential step to strengthening local economic development and improving the quality of life in northern Colorado for the benefit of current and future residents and businesses.”
“What is remarkable about this letter is that, despite the current global health crisis impacting local businesses, these community leaders are still concerned about climate change,” said Sarah Snead, Colorado Organizing Representative at the Sierra Club. “Businesses and institutions across Northern Colorado are looking ahead to the future of their families and communities, and asking PRPA to protect their health, environment, and the local economy by moving away from coal to renewable energy.”
You can read more about some of the businesses that signed on to the letter and how to support them during the current pandemic, here.
“When I think about a future that has been built on renewable energy filled with healthy and happy people, I am given all the energy I need to do what is right, now, this moment, needed to make that future happen,” said Samm White, Owner of Cheese Importers Warehouse in Longmont.
Among the signatories are: 1 Fort Collins church, 13 northern Colorado community organizations, 24 Fort Collins businesses, and 19 Longmont businesses (full list below). The letter was delivered ahead of the next PRPA IRP meeting, which will take place virtually on Thursday, May 28th at 9AM MT. Originally scheduled to be completed in 2020, the IRP has now been pushed back until PRPA can safely host in-person public meetings.
##
To the Board of Directors of Platte River Power Authority:
As northern Colorado community leaders, businesses, churches, and organizations, we thank you for committing PRPA to a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030. Moving swiftly to a clean energy economy is an essential step to strengthening local economic development and improving the quality of life in northern Colorado for the benefit of current and future residents and businesses.
A well-planned transition from gas and coal-fired power to renewable wind and solar resources, combined with energy efficiency upgrades and emerging storage technologies, promises economic, health, and grid resilience benefits for our communities in the face of climate change.
As part of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), northern Colorado community leaders and business owners are asking PRPA to:
-
Solidify commitment to PRPA and its member cities’ goals of 100% non-carbon electricity by 2030 by committing to retire the Rawhide coal plant before 2030.
-
Invest in local renewable electricity generation that will stimulate local economic development in northern Colorado communities.
-
Consult with impacted workers to make plans for a just transition off of PRPA’s fossil fuel power plants.
-
Increase the amount of renewable electricity on the grid as quickly as possible to keep excess carbon out of the atmosphere and mitigate the worst impacts of climate change on Colorado communities.
-
Utilize the Social Cost of Carbon in the IRP, as required by law for regulated utilities like Xcel, to account for the health and environmental impacts of carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, which cause climate change and negatively impact Colorado communities.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Signed,
HP Inc.
Mary Curtiss, Director of Energy and Sustainability
Robert Casey, HP Fort Collins Site Council Leader
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Sandeep Gupta, Global Energy Lead
Sandbox Solar, LLC
Ian J Skor, Co-Founder
G.J. Pierman, Director of Special Projects
Block One Events and Apartments
Leah Dunn, Venue Manager + Property Manager
Seven Generations, LLC
Susan McFaddin, President
SalesPEAK, Inc.
Renee Walkup , CEO
Natural Design Solutions Inc.
Neil McLane, President
One Construction & Design, Inc.
Michael Schnatzmeyer, President
Global Connection Facilitators
Mitzi A Nicoletti, Manager
Ft. Collins Mennonite Church
Steve Ramer, Lead Pastor
Community for Sustainable Energy
Fred Kirsch, Director
Renewables Now Loveland
Jane Clevenger, Co- Founder
FT Collins Sustainability Group
Kevin Cross, Convener
Elizabeth Hudetz, Member
2019-2020 Sustainability Leadership Fellows of Colorado State University
Jenna Parker, PhD Candidate
SAFY of Colorado
Erik Blank, Foster Parent Recruiter
Estes Valley Clean Energy Coalition
Gordon MacAlpine, Convener
Estes Valley Sierra Club
Barbara MacAlpine, Chair of Leadership Committee
Fort Collins Community Action Network
Shirley Man-Kin Coenen, Coordinator
Transition Fort Collins
Janice Lynne, Co-Host
Sustainable Resilient Longmont
Naomi Curland, Board Member
Emily Jacobson, Mechanical Engineer
Colorado State University Energy Club
Shannon Foley, President
League of Women Voters of Larimer County
Anne C Thompson, Spokesperson (President)
Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek (SWOSVC)
Shari Malloy, Organizer/Member
I d'Eclair! Pastry
Elizabeth Meyers, CEO, Chef, and Owner
Bloom
Cindy Gilbert, Owner
Blush Flowers on Vine (a flower farm)
Susan Miller, Owner/Operator
Rainbow Ltd (dba Rainbow Restaurant)
Daniel Jones, General Manager
Global Accent
Geoff Norby, Owner
Flower Tribe
Jodi Kirsch, Owner/Designer
Berkana Rehabilitation, LLC
Nancy Quick, PT, PhD
Treehouse Montessori School
Crystal, Owner / Head of School
Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center
Keith Ela, Director
Turtle Mountain Fermentery
Natalie diSanto, Owner/Operator/Mother
Juli Y Juan’s Kitchen
Juliana Trujillo-Escobar, Co-Owner
aSIANA FOODS
Sam Aun, Owner
Momo Lolo Coffee Shop
September Gerety, Owner
Olive Tree Mediterranean Market
Mohamed Misurati, Manager
Happy Lucky's Teahouse
George Grossman, Chief Leafster
Fort Collins Food Co-op
Stephanie Bublitz, Management Team
Dr. Seth's Mustache Wax
Dr. Seth Stepleton, Head Mustache
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company
Carol Cochran , Co-owner
St. Vrain Cidery
Cindy Landi, CEO
Cheese Importers Warehouse
Lyman S White, Owner
The Peaceful Poppy Med Spa
Jessica Tingwald, Owner
Grossen Bart Brewery
Walter Bourque, Co-Owner
Colorado Aromatics
Cindy Jones, Owner
Nature's Casket
Luc Nadeau, Owner
Dry Land Distillers
Nels Wroe, President
Colorado Crafted LLC
Sarah Welle, Owner
MMM-HQ Coworking and Fancynest LLC
Peter Adeney, Owner
Still Cellars
Jason R Houston, Co-Owner
Information Engineering Company
Mary Headley, Owner
Natural Design Solutions Inc.
Neil McLane, President
One Construction & Design, Inc.
Michael Schnatzmeyer, President
Global Connection Facilitators
Mitzi A Nicoletti, Manager
Wispy Greens, LLC
Alicia Beeson, Business Manager
CoSolve Inc
Kim Tucker, Co-Owner/Co-Founder
Full Circle Yoga
John Espinosa, Owner
Sunflower Farm
Liz Napp, Farm Manager
Green Ride Longmont
Ross Alexander, Owner
The Fry Law Firm LLC
Christopher Fry, Lawyer
The Enchanted Florist LTD
Meghan Rademacher, Owner
Small Planet EBikes
Tom Wilson, Owner
Longmont Food Rescue
Naomi Curland, Executive Director
Western Clean Energy Campaign
Eric Frankowski, Executive Director
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.