“One hundred nine days into a 120-day session you introduced major [energy policy] legislation,” Senator Steve King (R-Grand Junction) skeptically asked of SB 178 sponsor Senator Angela Giron (D-Pueblo).
Sen. King’s skepticism is justified because SB 178 is a significant policy change that increases Colorado’s renewable energy mandate by 20 percent.  Because renewable energy is not [...]

Colorado already has the most expensive electric rates of all neighboring states and the second highest in the Rocky Mountain West, with projections to go even higher in the near future.  Now, a bill just introduced into the state senate threatens to make Colorado’s energy rates even more expensive. The following is a column from [...]

Vestas Wind Systems A/S and 1,700 Colorado employees could see a takeover bid by one of the two largest Chinese wind manufacturers:
Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, citing unnamed sources, reports that Sinovel Wind Group and Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology, the No. 1 and 2 Chinese wind-turbine makers respectively, have discussed takeover bids with bankers.
Reuters, in a [...]

Just around dinner time last night the House Transportation Committee, chaired by Weld County GOP Rep Glenn Vaad, moved HB 1121 (detailed here) out of committee on a 10-3 vote and to the whole House for a floor debate on Colorado’s renewable energy mandate.
Rep. Ray Scott’s (R-Grand Junction) Ratepayer Bill of Rights, dubbed “RayBOR” by [...]

On an 8-4 vote, the House Ag Committee moved HB 1172, repealing Colorado’s carbon tax, out of committee for consideration by the whole House. One Democrat Wes McKinley joined all seven Republicans Representatives Paul Brown, Don Coram, Marsha Looper, Ray Scott, Glenn Vaad, Randy Baumgardner, and Jerry Sonnenberger.

A bill to repeal Colorado’s “phantom carbon tax” was heard today in the Republican-controlled House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee. It’s the second time in as many years that State Representative Spencer Swalm (R-Centennial) has sponsored the pro-ratepayer legislation. Both times it was heard in the House Ag Committee. Last year, we documented how [...]

In testimony before the House Transportation Committee for his bill HB12-1016 (detailed earlier) on January 25, Rep. David Balmer stated that he considered introducing a bill that would strip the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of any legislative authority.
Since the PUC apparently has “quasi-legislative” powers and “quasi-judicial” power, shouldn’t PUC commissioners be elected so that the [...]

Conventional wisdom in energy policy circles says that Governor John Hickenlooper will re-appoint current Public Utilities Commissioner Matt Baker to another four-year term on the PUC. His State Senate confirmation will be a mere formality, but it shouldn’t be.
Serious questions linger about his lack of honesty regarding energy costs and his ability to be an [...]

Two years after the passage of the fuel-switching bill HB 1365, Governor Bill Ritter’s “crown jewel” of the new energy economy, supporters would like the debate to go away. But like a nagging cough, it just won’t.
Several bills in the 2012 legislative session address issues raised surrounding the collusion to draft HB 1365, the cost [...]

In a surprising move to anyone who has watched the cozy relationship develop between Xcel Energy and the Public Utilities Commission, yesterday the PUC denied Xcel’s $142 million interim rate request.
Colorado News Agency columnist Peter Blake (then with Face the State) initially exposed how the PUC, Xcel, and Governor Ritter’s administration colluded on the cost [...]