Heads up on an upcoming issue that you all might want to circulate out to your networks and newsletters.

As we’ve discussed before, the Utilities is updating the Electric Integrated Resource Plan (EIRP, required to do so every 5 years per the feds).  The work right now is being done by the Utilities Policy Advisory Committee (UPAC).  Their current effort is the heavy lifting on determining the factors and sensitivities to be studied and counted in determining the costs and benefits of the various options for power generation.  So far so good.  One of the issues being argued is whether and how to include societal costs of carbon. This in my opinion is a really bad idea which is intended to artificially inflate carbon based energy costs in order to make renewables more cost competitive (which they are not).  The state and the EPA has mandated $46 per ton but as a home rule, municipal utility we still have the option to set that ourselves.  I’ve suggested to a few that if we count the Social Costs of Renewables the same way that would at least be fair.  I doubt that will fly but it is a point to argue.

The surveys and inputs are getting good data from the public for the most part.  The internet and emails however are being clearly slanted by the Usual Suspects with what you all might expect from the left.  The public workshops all have been packed by one side with a handful of right thinking heroes trying to input some common sense.

The workshop is being targeted by the Sierra Club and the activists are planning to overwhelm that one.  Some publicity and participation by some rational thinkers would help right now.  The UPAC mtgs are also being packed by the activists.  The first meeting is Wednesday, January 29^th at 6PM at the 21C Library. The next one is Feb 5^th  at 8AM,  which will include a key discussion on societal costs.

Also email energyvision@csu.org.  That email is being packed by one side right now.

The Climate Change/Emergency crowd is fired up right now.  They’ve come after me several times already.  Take a look at the last Council Meeting on the 14^th during the Public Comment period for probably some of the most vile personal attacks I’ve ever seen at a Council mtg.  You all might find it somewhat entertaining.  It was so bad that several of my colleagues on Council defended me including the three most dedicated progressive climate change alarmists on the Council who spoke highly of me in response to the personal insults.  I am very thankful for that and commend those three for doing so.  Take a look.

What is at stake are our conventional, carbon-fueled power plants.  Drake, Nixon, Front Range and the other natural gas plants are being targeted by the Sierra Club, 350 Colorado, and the other extremist fringe groups.  The State will force the shutdown of the two coal plants much sooner than any of us would like but it would be good to keep pushing that back as long as possible.  Running Drake on natural gas is one option that may give us some breathing room (pun intended) and isn’t too bad of an option from a cost point of view only because of the historically low gas prices (thanks to fracking!).

I’ll be speaking to the Fountain Valley Republican Club on climate change and impacts to energy on Monday evening.

Now is the time to get that word out.  Speak now or forever…..

Warm regards,

Andy