Readying for a ripping runoff
With southwestern Colorado’s snowpack at 183% of average, a reservoir manager admits to a “pucker factor” when contemplating spring runoff.
Awash in snowmelt on the Colorado
Once-in-a-century runoff predicted for river. “Don’t squander it,” water officials warn.
The Blink of an Eye
During the long, leisurely days of 2021, there were split-second decisions, the difference between darkness and light so terribly narrow.
Better than the Xcel Energy and Black Hills model?
Holy Cross Energy expects to surpass 90% in carbon-free energy in 2024. It hasn’t had a rate increase since 2018. Why does Xcel Energy have higher rates even as it pivots more slowly?
Can Colorado hit its 2030 goal for EVs?
The short answer is yes. But it will take a lot of carrots from the state and federal governments. The good news is that the seeds have mostly been planted.
Solar coming on like gangbusters
10,000 solar roof-tops in Colorado’s United Power service territory, a temporary setback for Pivot Energy, and solar replaces coal in northwestern New Mexico.
Paying off the coal plants
How much should Xcel’s customers have to pay for Hayden, Craig and Pawnee as the coal era winds down? Opinions vary—and widely so!
Colorado snowpack in late March tops 140% of average
San Juan and Dolores snowpacks at 179%, but the Yampa Basin has neared historic highs, registering 145% of average
Cañon City electricity, fossil fuel subsidies, and is Colorado a renewables slug?
Cañon City mulls electric pathways, Aspen speaker talks about fossil fuel subsidies, and group accuses Colorado of being slower than Utah or Nebraska in renewables
Yampa Valley soil moisture monitoring and demand-management hesitation
Getting a bead on soil moisture in the Yampa Valley, and some hesitation among Western Slope farmers in participating in demand-management program
Electric resource adequacy bill moves along
Do Colorado’s electrical providers have the juice to keep the lights on? Bill would mandate annual resource adequacy reports\
Colorado River farm fallowing pilot moves forward
Colorado and other upper-basin states try to reduce water demand to allow reservoirs to recover. But this won’t be easy.
Facing hard deadlines in water and in climate, too
Climate scientists issue their latest, stern warning while farmers in Colorado grapple with whether they can sustainably pump Ogallala Aquifer water
Carbon roadmap bill advances in Colorado
But environmental activists worry this is the wrong path for trying to remove carbon from atmosphere
Grants seek to boost carbon dioxide removal projects
4 Corners Carbon Coalition awards grants to tech companies with four projects in Colorado trying to get rid of carbon emissions associated with concrete
Can a coal plant be repurposed?
Congress appropriates $200,000 for study of potential future uses of Craig Station. Plus, can Colorado utilities get pieces of the federal climate funds?
A mystery within a climate-change pep rally
A press conference to parade the raft of energy bills in Colorado. But why did the governor reverse course? He now supports new interim carbon reduction goals.
New transmission authority’s first hire
Maury Galbraith becomes first executive director of Colorado agency charged with figuring out how to surmount constraints on further decarbonizing electricity
A three-wire winter on the Yampa
Some say the deep snows in northwestern Colorado are unlike anything they have ever seen. What will it do for Powell and Colorado River?
Why Ean Tafoya wants to be elected mayor of Denver
GreenLatinos organizer Ean Tafoya talks about what he would do if elected mayor of Denver, and what got him to this point in life
