Is 2025 the Year that Colorado Goes Nuclear? Hopefully!
The Colorado House Energy and Environment Committee passed HB25-1040, “Adding Nuclear Energy as a Clean Energy Resource,” to the House floor on an 8 to 5 vote. Testimony went long and late into the evening. I couldn’t stay the entire time and submitted my written testimony online. I’ve provided it below, along with brief explanations […]
Energy & Environmental Policy Center’s Testimony on Bill to Classify Nuclear as ‘Clean Energy’
On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Independence Institute’s Energy and Environmental Policy Analyst Jake Fogleman testified on SB24-039 in the Colorado Senate Transportation & Energy Committee. The bill would have amended the state’s statutory definitions of “clean energy” and “clean energy resources” to include nuclear energy. The committee ultimately voted not to pass the bill at […]
Colorado Lawmakers to Consider Pro-Nuclear Bill
Colorado lawmakers are set to consider their first nuclear energy bill of the 2024 legislative session later this week. SB24-039, dubbed “Nuclear Energy as a Clean Energy Resource,” is scheduled to go before the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee for first reading on Wednesday. The bill seeks to level the playing field for carbon-free energy […]
Country’s First ‘Enhanced’ Geothermal Plant Comes Online
Enhanced geothermal electricity is now a reality in the United States. Late last month marked a new breakthrough in next-generation clean energy technology. Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal project developer, announced that its first commercial “enhanced” geothermal plant went online and began producing usable electricity in Nevada. According to a Canary Media report: A next-generation geothermal […]
Colorado’s Energy Future: The High Cost of 100% Renewable Electricity by 2040
Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D.) campaigned for his first term in office on a platform of transitioning the state to 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. In his first year in office, Polis unveiled an official government “roadmap” to do just that. Since then, he has signed into law no fewer than 55 climate bills […]
Jake Fogleman Talks Energy Bills at the Capitol, Nuclear Energy on the Jimmy Lakey Show
Policy analyst Jake Fogleman joined the Jimmy Lakey Show on 600 KCOL to talk about his article on the Democrats at the legislature killing a Republican-led clean energy bill. They also discuss how policymakers can keep energy affordable for Coloradans and what the future holds for the reliability of the state’s electric grid. Listen to […]
Colorado Communities for Climate Action, Boulder County Line Up to Oppose Nuclear Energy Bills at the Capitol
In one of the strangest ironies of the modern climate debate, those who ostensibly care the most about combatting climate change are often the most vociferous opponents of nuclear energy. I’ve documented in a previous post how the community that nominally would have the most to gain from embracing the country’s single-largest source of carbon-free […]
Colorado Lawmakers Reintroduce Nuclear Feasibility Bill
The potential for introducing small-modular reactors (SMRs) to Colorado will get a second look at the state legislature thanks to a new bill currently being considered. HB23-1080, sponsored by Representative Ty Winter (R.) and Senator Byron Pelton (R.), would direct the Colorado Energy Office to conduct a feasibility study for the use of SMRs as […]
Putting This Week’s Fusion News in Context
By now you’ve probably seen dozens of headlines about scientists achieving a breakthrough in fusion energy this week. While the news is cause for celebration, expectations for an imminent supply of limitless clean energy should be tempered. On December 5th, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully achieved a net energy gain from […]
Western Utility Announces Consideration of Five SMRs for Coal-to-Nuclear Transition
Wyoming and Utah are looking to lead the wave of next-generation advanced nuclear energy. PacifiCorp, the parent company of the western-state regulated utilities Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power, announced a partnership on Wednesday with the small modular reactor firm Terrapower. The two firms will be conducting a joint study to evaluate the feasibility of […]
New DOE Study Finds 5 Coal Plant Sites in Colorado That Could Convert to Nuclear
A brand new study released today from the Department of Energy (DOE) finds multiple locations in Colorado that could benefit from a coal-to-nuclear power transition. The study authors examined both operational and recently retired (within the last 10 years) coal plants across the country to screen for siting characteristics deemed favorable for a nuclear conversion. […]
China Ready to Ramp Up Nuclear Energy Production, U.S. Must Counter
There’s an arms race afoot in energy production, and the U.S. is at risk of falling behind. No longer are we able to rest on our laurels as the world’s number one producer of oil and gas. Thanks to global commitments to pursue a “clean energy transition”, countries like China have been able to establish […]
