HB 1291 second reading: snuggies, moderates and the gavel
Great quotes from today’s Senate floor debate on HB 1291, which saw republicans Scott Renfroe, Kevin Lundberg and Shawn Mitchell collaborate with democrat Lois Tochtrop to save money for Xcel ratepayers. Two pro-consumer amendments that closely mirror SB 236 and SB 237 were defeated. Senator Lois Tochtrop: “I’m buying stock in snuggies because that’s all […]
Lawmakers continue to oblige Xcel Energy
Same story. Different day. Yesterday in Senate State Affairs, democrats Rollie Heath, Bob Bacon and Betty Boyd voted with Xcel Energy and killed two pro-consumer pieces of legislation. Republican members Bill Cadman and Kevin Grantham sided with ratepayers. Most interesting, Senator Lois Tochtrop (D-Adams County) couldn’t get any support from her own party for SB 236 […]
Fat Cats
Wish I had seen this last year when HB 1365, Ritter’s fuel switching bill, was rammed through the state legislature. But it still works for this year in regards to HB 1291.
Senate committee gives thumbs up to Xcel…again
The Colorado Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee along a party-line vote (3-2) approved House Speaker Frank McNulty’s and Senate Majority Leader’s John Morse’s bill, HB 1291, which rubber stamps a costly and likely illegal State Implementation Plan (SIP) on regional haze. Nine people representing a variety of different groups including consumers, unions, mining, […]
Representative Looper a voice for ratepayers
My apologies to Representative Marsha Looper for not including her name as one of the seven no votes on HB 1291. As my colleague William Yeatman wrote, it was Rep. Looper along with Representative Jim Kerr who initially asked for a hearing on the Air Quality Control Commission’s State Implementation Plan that is the foundation […]
News Flash: Xcel opposes new pro-consumer legislation
This is an update to our last post explaining how Xcel Energy has its way with the General Assembly. Xcel’s lobbying firm 5280 Strategies just updated the utility monopoly’s position on three bills mentioned in the previous post. Those positions were not available until after I published my piece yesterday. While I could have guessed […]
Legislature provides cover for Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy enjoys great success at the state Capitol. It seems that whatever Xcel wants legislatively, Xcel gets. Relief for ratepayers is met with opposition. According to the Secretary of State’s online lobbying information, through March 2011, the utility company has taken positions on 28 different bills this year: opposing 14, supporting 3 and “amending” […]
Fischer full of hot air when it comes to energy policy
The Colorado News Agency reported a gem of a quote from State Representative Randy Fischer (D-Fort Collins). While providing arguments against Representative Kathleen Conti’s (R-Littleton) bill to bring more accountability to the Public Utilities Commission, especially in the area of utility rate increases, Fischer: refuted Conti’s assertion and countered that cost increases can be attributed […]
Don’t Trust Studies Written by Wind Energy Lobbyists
Colorado is home to 5,000 wind energy jobs, according to a new, totally unbiased report from the American Wind Energy Association, this country’s premier wind energy lobby. Of course, the study is bogus. I wish I could tell you how the books were cooked. Unfortunately, I can’t read the report, because the AWEA put it […]
Why Does the Office of Consumer Counsel Exist?
As I explain here, two thirds of the Public Utilities Commission care more about advancing “green” energy, than they do about ratepayer protection. I’m sad to say that the same holds true for the Office of Consumer Counsel. Evidently, in Colorado, ratepayers don’t have a public sector advocate. By any rational calculation, Xcel’s Solar*Rewards program […]
Gross Dereliction of Duty at the PUC
Under Colorado’s green energy production quota, also known as a Renewable Electricity Standard, the cost of acquiring renewable energy like wind and solar power is limited to 2 percent of annual electricity sales. The rules are very clear on this matter. According to the Public Utilities Commission’s Rule 3661(h)iv, “to the extent the RES plan […]
Fact of the Day: Xcel’s Projected Revenues Far Exceed Projected Sales
Through 2020, Xcel projects energy sales to increase an average of 1.1 percent annually, but it projects sales revenue to increase 4.7 percent annually, according to its 2009 Renewable Electricity Standard compliance plan. Why would revenue outpace sales by such a significant margin? The answer, of course, is that green energy costs more than conventional […]
