Did the PUC Call Xcel’s Bluff on HB 1365?
The PUC finally issued a written ruling addressing appeals to its December decision on a HB 1365 implementation plan. As I noted here, virtually every stakeholder had requested a rehearing. The PUC issued an oral ruling on January 26, but I didn’t listen to it at the time, and media reports covered only the PUC’s […]
Xcel getting even fatter off Colorado ratepayers
Xcel Energy just announced its 2010 earnings and the Minnesota based energy company did very well this year: We had another very successful year in 2010, said Richard C. Kelly, chairman and chief executive officer. We delivered earnings in the upper half of our guidance range. This represents the sixth consecutive year in which we […]
PUC Denies HB 1365 Appeals
Cathy Proctor at the Denver Business Journal reports that the PUC on Wednesday denied appeals of its decision on HB 1365, the Clean Air Clean Jobs Act, legislation that effectively mandates fuel switching from coal to natural gas for almost 1,000 megawatts of electricity generation along the Front Range. As I explained here, virtually every […]
Energy legislation to watch in 2011
The 2011 legislative session began in earnest last week in Colorado. Below are several bills we are watching. SB11-058 Electric Utilities Employ Least-Cost Planning for New Resource Acquisition Senator Scott Renfroe (R-SD13) is the prime sponsor. The Public Utilities Commission must consider “cost” when deciding on new energy facilities and resource acquisition. Cost to ratepayers […]
Colorado Environmental Coalition Suffers from Cognitive Dissonance
Yesterday the Colorado Environmental Coalition, a Denver lobbing group for “green” policies, issued an illogical press release. On the one hand, it quotes Executive Director Elise Jones saying, “When the dust settles on this session, we will judge our success based on the savings families across Colorado will see in their pocketbooks and the jobs […]
CDPHE’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan: At Least $100 Million Too Expensive
On January 15, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) submitted to the General Assembly a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to comply with the Regional Haze provision of the Clean Air Act. The General Assembly must approve the SIP before it can be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for final review. […]
Update: ethics complaints for travelin' PUC
You read it here first. PUC commissioners Ron Binz (chairman) and Matt Baker have made some ethically questionable trips during their tenure on the PUC: At least one trip appears particularly problematic. BENTEK Energy, an Evergreen-based energy company, paid nearly $1000 in travel expenses for Binz to attend and participate in the “Benposium” in Houston […]
Smart Grid City: Suddenly, the PUC Cares about Costs?
The PUC has finally ruled on Xcel’s cost-recovery for the Boulder Smart Grid City (SGC). Before we get to that, here’s a timeline of the SGC, for background: January 2008: Xcel announced it was looking for a city of 100,000 in its eight-state territory as a test bed for smart grid. March 2008: Xcel chooses […]
Caldara grades Ritter on energy policy
Independence Institute president Jon Caldara tells Energy Now that out-going Governor Bill Ritter gets an “F” for energy policy. Needless to say, that’s not the same grade Ritter would give himself. In the Governor’s interview with Energy Now, he touted his “fuel-switching” bill designed to kill the coal industry and the renewable energy mandate which forces […]
HB 1365 Update: The Appeals Are in…and Everyone Objects to the PUC’s Decision
This week was the deadline to appeal the PUC’s decision on a HB 1365 implementation plan, and judging by the briefs, no one is satisfied that the PUC’s decision passes legal muster. Here’s a roundup of who argued what, along with links to the appeals: Xcel alleges that the PUC’s decision “fails to put into […]
How Long Will Hick Equivocate on Energy Policy?
On energy policy, Governor-elect John Hickenlooper is perhaps the most masterful politician I’ve ever encountered. Coal, climate change, costs…these matters engender passions. They get people riled up. So it’s an awesome political trick that Hickenlooper has been elected mayor of this country’s finest city, and then governor of this country’s finest state, without revealing what […]
Xcel getting fat off Colorado ratepayers
The cost of the New Energy Economy is just being felt by Colorado ratepayers and enjoyed by Minnesota-based Xcel Energy as proved by the chart below, which is based on the energy company’s third quarter earnings report. But first a few facts about the economics of utility companies: Investor-owned utilities such as Xcel Energy operate […]
