PRPA vote derails prior commitment to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030

PRPA is the only utility in Colorado with plans to build a new, permanent gas-fired power plant.
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Fort Collins, CO -- Today, the Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) Board voted to build a new gas-fired power plant as part of its long-term, electric resource plan (ERP), which derails the utility’s 2018 commitment to 100% carbon-free power by 2030.

PRPA serves four communities in northern Colorado, two of which have commitments to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and two of which have passed ordinances supporting 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030. 

PRPA is now the only utility in Colorado with plans to build new, permanent fossil fuel-powered generation. Other utilities are finding hundreds of millions worth of savings by closing coal and gas plants and building new clean energy infrastructure.

In response, Rekha Warrier, a member of the Sierra Club’s Fort Collins Energy Action Team and a postdoctoral student at Colorado State University, said: “Building a fracked gas plant in 2030 is a step in the wrong direction for air pollution control in Fort Collins, and global efforts toward net-zero carbon emissions. A community like Fort Collins must lead the charge on climate justice, not thwart it."

Elizabeth Bridgewater, Fort Collins leader for Sunrise Movement, said: “It is vital that we take more assertive action to combat the climate crisis. The Sunrise Fort Collins hub remains committed to advocating against new fossil fuel infrastructure in Northern Colorado and fighting for a livable and equitable future for all! This fight is not over.”

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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.