An even worse drought 2,000 years ago
Big reservoirs on the Colorado River are far closer to empty than full. Now comes evidence of a much more severe drought 2,000 years ago. Will this be worse?
The Colorado River Compact hasn’t aged well
George Sibley says it is time for the seven states to throw out the the now century-old compact and start over.
Thinking big about wind and water in Wyoming
A pumped-storage hydro project in Wyoming reservoir hopes to get married at the substation with a giant wind project. Are there implications for Colorado?
A short rope for Xcel and pumped storage
Colorado regulators agree that Xcel Energy can ding customers for only $1 million in exploratory costs if it investigates a pumped-storage hydro idea.
Reinterpreting the Colorado River Compact
Relics of construction of Glen Canyon Dam have been exposed by receding waters of Lake Powell. Also exposed have been weaknesses of the 1922 compact governing allocations. Can this document be modified to recognize 21st century realities?
How can a me-first terrorist be made into a hero?
On June 4, 2004, an individual used a bulldozer and guns to terrorize a Colorado mountain town. Even now, some want to see him as a hero. Why?
A new dimension in the Colorado River debate
Climate change adds a new layer to the talk in the fast-declining Colorado River Basin. Net-zero concepts moves forward. Plus planning for extreme weather.
Solar not shining so brightly
Solar companies have been struggling with supply chain issues, the most profound being an investigation into possible violations of import policies from China.
Tri-State G&T asks for 2025 projects
Tri-State G&T has asked for proposals for renewable energy to go on line into 2025. Meanwhile, Mountain Parks Electric and three other of members say they want to reduce their purchases of wholesale power.
From Afghanistan to decarbonized buildings
This Princeton graduate, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, is now a different and even more global mission. He wants Americans to electrify their buildings. Is this a war we can win?
$15 million for Colorado coal communities
State appropriation may not be enough, but there will soon be a bulge of federal dollars
A bigger map for Xcel’s Alice Jackson
Alice Jackson will be taking responsibility for mapping out how Xcel Energy plans to achieve net-zero energy by mid-century across its8-state service territory.
Carbon capture and storage in Colorado?
A Denver-area firm was ready to announce a partnership with two ethanol plants in Colorado for carbon capture and storage. But then it went mum. Why?
Subterranean Ogallala Blues
In “Running Out,” a finalist for the National Book Award, a Kansas farm boy goes home to unravel the mystery of Ogallala Aquifer depletion and discovers the answers, like the geology, can be confounding. In this, it’s not unlike so many of the big questions of our time.
Plenty of food, but not for all farmworkers
Those picking the food we eat often go hungry themselves. A quick look at the anomaly of hungry migrant laborers in the orchards of fruit and fields of vegetables.
It’s off the fence for United Power
With new confidence they can afford to leave Tri-State G&T, United Power’s directors also decided that they cannot afford NOT to leave their wholesale supplier.
Red-flag warnings on the rise in Colorado
As fire risk has grown in Colorado, the state’s electrical utilities have elevated their risk. The Marshall Fire, some say, has made them even more nervous.
A hot, dry wind licking at winter’s back door
A record number of red-flag warnings in April have left many Coloradans on edge, fearful of what the the lengthening wildfire season will bring.
Fossil-free in frigid Fraser
As Colorado debates how to decarbonize its buildings, evidence arrives of the cost-effectiveness of air-source heat pumps and other technologies that work even in the coldest places.
A sharper pivot for Xcel Energy
A settlement agreement proposes to retire Comanche 3 sooner and identifies a 25-year yardstick for evaluating the need for new natural gas plants. It also punts some key decisions.
