Colorado’s Energy Future: The High Cost of 100 Percent Electric Home Heating
What began as a first-of-its-kind ban on new natural gas hookups in 2019 in Berkeley, California, has turned into a nationwide movement. To date, more than 100 cities plus the state of New York have since passed gas bans of their own to push their citizens toward electrification. It has even begun to spread in […]
Dr. Polis Prescribes Even Higher Utility Bills
Primum non nocere. Translation: first, do no harm. It’s a phrase that has been part of the medical ethics lexicon since the 17th century. Coloradans would have been wise to apply it to energy policy some two decades ago, when the eco-left began politicizing energy production, electricity, and our grid. Flanked by low-income customers, Governor […]
Jake Fogleman Talks Xcel Energy Bills, Colorado Climate Policy on the George Brauchler Show
Policy analyst Jake Fogleman joined the George Brauchler Show on 710 KNUS to talk about the sky-high energy bills Xcel customers have been seeing this winter due to a pancaking series of rate hikes granted by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. They also discuss who is ultimately to blame for those rate hikes, the reality […]
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 […]
Fossil Fuels Bail Out Colorado’s Grid Yet Again
Coloradans might want to begin brushing up on their German. At least enough to be familiar with the word Dunkelflaute, which roughly translates to “dark doldrums.” The term describes a weather pattern of low wind and limited sunlight that makes generating electricity from renewables nearly impossible. The event is relatively common in northern and western Europe during […]
Denver City Council Punts on Residential Natural Gas Ban as Arctic Cold Front Moves In
Gas bans are all the rage these days among environmentalists and progressive lawmakers. The town of Crested Butte got the ball rolling this August by becoming the first jurisdiction in Colorado to ban the use of gas in all new construction. The city of Louisville, not content with the pain its current cost-raising green energy […]
EIA: Coal Still King in Colorado
Colorado often fancies itself as a leader in the so-called clean energy transition. And in some ways it has earned that reputation. The state became the first in the nation to enact a renewable portfolio standard by citizen’s initiative, for example, all the way back in 2004. And the Colorado General Assembly routinely passes new […]
Xcel Proposes Yet Another Rate Hike
Colorado’s largest utility is back before the PUC requesting another rate increase, this time a $312.2 million bump in electric rates. The request is just the latest to arrive in 2022, a year that has come to represent a cost-hike bonanza for the energy monopoly. The PUC already approved a $182.2 million electric rate hike […]
As Wind Turbines Falter, Gas Saves the Day in the U.K.
Renewables advocates are constantly downplaying the risks associated with intermittency. When the wind isn’t blowing, or the sun isn’t shining, we’re assured that batteries and electricity imports from neighboring jurisdictions can fill in the gaps. The problem, of course, is that current viable battery technology is only capable of storing power in 4-hour intervals, and […]
Sky High Gas Bills Coming This Winter
Last week I wrote about the costs and consequences of underrating natural gas infrastructure, which are currently most pronounced in New England this winter in the form of exorbitant bills and inadequate supply. But it turns out Colorado, while being in better shape than our northeastern counterparts, is not immune to the disruptions roiling the […]
The Real-World Costs and Consequences of Restricting Natural Gas
Apropos of next week’s hearing at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission—in which the PUC plans to take public comment on a proposed rule that would dramatically affect natural gas line extensions—news out of New England offers a grim look at the consequences of underrating sufficient natural gas capacity. Per the Washington Examiner: Authorities in New England are staring […]
Independence Institute Tells the Public Utilities Commission to Pump the Brakes on De-Facto Gas Ban
The PUC is holding a Zoom public comment hearing on these rules on Monday, September 19th at 9am. People who wish to participate in that hearing can find more information here. They can also submit written comments referencing Proceeding No. 21R-0449G by clicking here. In the 2021 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed SB21-264, […]
