September 18, 2019 | By Cory Felder and Dan Cross-Call RMI This Spring, Colorado ascended to the top tier of state-led clean energy policy in the United States. In the final days of May, Governor Jared Polis signed 11 bills ushering in a wave of key policy changes to advance decarbonization and clean energy in the state. The legislature codified an electricity sector greenhouse gas (GHG) …
Legislation establishing an Independent System Operator (ISO) to manage the electric transmission grid in Colorado
This document describes an idea of central importance to Colorado’s energy future: a statewide unified transmission grid managed by a non-profit Independent System Operator (ISO) under a common transmission tariff. The purpose of this document is to explain the concept and attract the attention of one or more legislators who are knowledgeable about energy and might appreciate how transformative a …
Hickenlooper presided over a 400% increase in Colorado oil production and threatened to sue any local jurisdiction that tried to stop fracking
The vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels. Each new well pad adds to the supply of these greenhouse gas-emitting fuels at a time the IPCC says we should be reducing their use. Hickenlooper has never apologized to the local jurisdictions that tried to stop the expansion of fracking into residential neighborhoods and were thwarted by …
Denver’s 2020 budget will fund just five miles of new sidewalks out of more than 2,000 miles that are missing or sub-standard
Streetsblog Denver, Sept 2019 The Denver Streets Partnership told members of the council that mobility funding within Hancock’s $1.49 billion proposed budget is so paltry that it would take 400 years to build out a complete sidewalk network. “Mayor Hancock’s proposed 2020 budget will fund just five miles of new sidewalks out of more than 2,000 miles that are missing …
Why the zero emission vehicle standard matters — and what it means for Colorado
Expanded vehicle choice and more electric vehicles on Colorado roads will help provide air quality, health, and economic benefits across the state. Multiple studies show that Colorado will see significant economic benefits with higher levels of electric vehicle adoption, including driver savings, downward pressure on electric rates which benefits all ratepayers, and emissions reductions. Colorado is uniquely positioned to help …
Grasslands More Reliable Carbon Sink Than Trees
Tree initiative in Denver – further down. In Wildfire-Prone California, Grasslands a Less Vulnerable Carbon Offset Than Forests. Increased drought and wildfire risk make grasslands more reliable carbon sinks than trees Grasslands should be given opportunities in state’s cap-and-trade market as long-term investment By Kat Kerlin | Jul 9, 2018 Forests have long served as a critical carbon sink, consuming about a quarter of …
Serious nonattainment in Denver
If you’ve ever gone hiking on the Front Range or driven from the mountains towards the plains, you’ve seen the brown haze that hangs over Denver, Golden, Boulder, Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland and everywhere in between. This area is in violation of national air quality standards for ozone air pollution. In fact, according to the American Lung Association, the …
In Colorado, TABOR faces a reckoning with Prop. CC. Here’s what you should know about its impact on state spending
Sept. 4, 2019 Colorado Sun In 1992, Colorado voters decided state government should stop growing. But that didn’t stop them from demanding more public services and spending from their elected officials. That’s the tension at the heart of Proposition CC, this November’s ballot measure to eliminate the state’s revenue caps. It’s the single biggest test to the Taxpayer’s Bill of …
Exxon drops out of the S&P 500 top 10. Also, the decline of American coal is taking a toll on the railroad industry
Reproduced from Moody’s; Chart: Axios Visuals No matter what President Trump says, coal in America isn’t coming back — and it’s bringing other industries down with it. Driving the news: Coal demand for electricity is likely to drop by more than 50% in 11 years, according to a report by the rating agency Moody’s. In turn, revenue from transporting that coal around …
Labor Standards Are Key
Excerpt, Sept 2, How Companies Use Perks to Control Your Life, Colorado Sun, by Elizabeth C. Tippett is associate professor in the school of law at the University of Oregon Historically, company housing sat at the sweet spot of valuable and necessary. If you were operating a new mine in the early 20th century and there was no housing or transportation nearby, …