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 […]
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 […]
Denver Post Article on Green Building Codes Misses the Point
Green building codes are back in the news again in Colorado. The Denver Post has a new report updating readers on how the rebuilding process is going for Marshall fire victims in Louisville and Superior. Evidently, many homeowners are choosing to rebuild under the latest and most stringent building energy code standards that featured heavily in the […]
Members of New Joint Committee to Investigate Utility Rates Announced
The state has announced the official makeup of a new legislative committee dedicated to investigating rising utility bills. Comprised of lawmakers of both parties from each legislative chamber, the members of the six-person Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates will be as follows: From the Senate- President Steve Fenberg (D.) Lisa Cutter (D.) Minority […]
Jake Fogleman Talks Natural Gas Saving Colorado’s Grid, Nuclear Energy on the Mandy Connell Show
Policy analyst Jake Fogleman joined the Mandy Connell Show on 850 KOA to talk about his article on Colorado’s dunkelflaute episode that saw fossil fuels save the stability of Colorado’s electric grid. They also discuss the pros and cons of nuclear power and why the state’s policymakers would be wise to consider championing it if they […]
Small Modular Reactors Get New Industry, Government Buy-In
Nuclear fission truly is a bit of unicorn in the world’s panoply of energy sources. Not only is it extremely efficient at reliably producing electricity—generating zero carbon emissions while doing so—it can also be used to co-produce heat and steam. That makes it an appealing option for hard to decarbonize businesses in the industrial sector, […]
Energy and Land Use: A Sober Look at the Space Needed to Power the Future
Much of the conversation surrounding energy policy in Colorado these days has to do primarily with the emissions currently being produced and ways to continue reducing said emissions. The arguments over the role of various energy sources in getting to a decarbonized future are familiar at this point. But there has been comparatively little discussion […]
Gone with the Wind: Weather Dependent Energy Puts Residents at Risk
The power grid in Texas is a little bit under the weather. A major heat wave has arrived just as the wind stopped blowing, creating a perfect storm for residents looking for relief from the blistering summer sun in the country’s second-largest state. As Bloomberg reports: Wind power — a key source of electricity in […]
Clean and Reliable: The Case for Small-Modular Reactors in Colorado
Electric grid reliability is on the forefront of everyone’s mind following a sobering report from the country’s grid overseer. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a regulatory body overseeing grid operations across the United States and Canada, warned last month in its latest summer reliability assessment that vast swaths of the West and Midwest […]
