Also see: https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/04/16/climate-driven-megadrought-emerging-western-u-s/ – April 20th, 2020 The Colorado Sun | evan@coloradosun.com Colorado currently is one of the drier parts of the country, and although conditions have improved in recent weeks, the long-term outlook for the state is relatively grim. Much of Colorado continues to suffer through extreme drought, and nearly all of the state is experiencing drought, according to the …
Report on July 16, 2020 AQCC meeting
The state’s Air Quality Control Commission doesn’t expect new rules to be in place for another year, Colorado Sun, July 17, 2020 Mark Jaffe@bymarkjaffe A plan to reduce Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions will be a device of many moving parts and after a review by an Air Quality Control Commission subcommittee Thursday it looks like those parts are moving slowly, …
RTD joins transit systems’ request for billions more in aid from Congress
Passengers board an RTD light-rail train at the Littleton/Mineral station on Jan. 19, 2020.WAYNE BROUSSARD | Posted Thursday, July 16, 2020 7:38 amMichael KarlikColorado Politics The Regional Transportation District was among the more than two dozen public transit agencies that sent a letter to the Republican and Democratic U.S. Senate leaders asking for $32 billion to $36 billion in additional coronavirus relief money …
Now’s the time for Colorado to act boldly and cut air pollution JUL 6, 2020 Holly Morton Chione We are in unique times. The state legislature recently wrapped up a history-making session after taking a break for the COVID-19 shutdown. Though it was interrupted and marked by difficult budget cuts, we did see a couple of significant wins for cleaning …
We now know how many billions of gallons of water Colorado will save by closing coal-fired power plants
By 2031 water use for coal-fired power plants in Colorado will drop to 3.7 billion gallons – a 68% reduction, according to the Energy and Policy Institute.PUBLISHED ONJUL 16, 2020 Mark Jaffe@bymarkjaffe The closing of 30 coal-fired generating units across the West – including 10 in Colorado – could free-up more than 76 billion gallons of river and groundwater a …
While climate change divides Democrats and Republicans, renewable policy unites
PV Magazine, July 2020 A new interactive map created by the Yale Program on Climate Communication shows the difference in responses and opinions between America’s two political parties across questions of climate change, renewable education and utility procurement.JULY 6, 2020 TIM SYLVIA Image: Yale Program on Climate Communication The Yale Program on Climate Communication has released an interactive map that shows variations in …
Shifting cultural winds amplify calls to rename Colorado’s peaks, valleys and creeks: Mount Evans, Squaw Mountain and Chinaman Gulch are among the geographic landmarks that are being eyed for renaming
JUL 13, 2020 By Jason Blevins@jasonblevins The Colorado Sun — jason@coloradosun.com The statues are falling. The old guard is rapidly fading. And the names, they are a-changin’. As centuries of embedded discrimination erupt in sea-to-plain calls for change, an atlas of geographic locations has appeared in the crosshairs. In Colorado, a host of peaks, valleys, creeks and mesas are poised …
Cities Are Even Worse For Women Than You Might Imagine
The overlapping care crises of COVID-19 make the case for feminist cities clear — and more urgent.By Diana Budds Jul 7, 2020 While there are still many unknowns about the coronavirus pandemic, one thing has become certain: Our cities aren’t taking care of us like they should. Sidewalks are too narrow. Buses are too slow. Parks are too crowded (if there’s even a park to go …
Guest commentary: Polis must get Colorado on track to meet climate goals
Colorado Public Radio, July 8, 2020 Activist Lawsuit Alleges Gov. Polis Isn’t Moving Quickly Enough On Climate Change, by Sam Brasch Gov. Jared Polis’ administration is working to curb climate change, but it will soon face new legal pressure to do it faster. WildEarth Guardians, an environmental advocacy group, filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court against the administration demanding a …
Utilities saying “skip gas”, go to renewable generation and storage. Germany & UK getting half of their electricity from renewables now.
From PV Mag June 2020 https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/07/01/more-utilities-bypassing-natural-gas-bridge-and-going-straight-to-renewables/ Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) both outlined their plans to skip the gas bridge as they transition away from coal in their resource plans. TEP’s proposal calls for closing all of its coal-fired generation by 2031 and replacing this capacity with 2,457 MW of new wind and solar generation and …