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Wednesday, 23 January 2008 |
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By Vincent Carroll Rocky Mountain News Just two months ago, Gov. Bill Ritter's latest appointee to the three-member Public Utilities Commission dismissed fossil fuels from any role in meeting Colorado's future energy needs. "We think it's totally doable to meet the (future) demand through an investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy," Matt Baker said. Baker, the executive director of Environment Colorado, had been making similar statements for years - telling Westword in 2005, for example, that his group agreed to a settlement giving the green light to construction of Xcel's Comanche 3 coal plant in Pueblo only because "this would be the last coal plant." At his Senate confirmation hearing Monday, however, the crusading activist was nowhere in sight. Coal has a bright future, a mellow Baker declared, sounding for the all the world like an open-minded pragmatist.... Read full story: http://www.rockymountainnews.com |
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Wednesday, 16 January 2008 |
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By Andy Vuong and John Ingold
The Denver Post ..."Walking away from coal power generation is like waving the white flag on energy independence," said Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction. "It's a luxury America does not have." Baker's appointment to the four-year term requires Senate confirmation. The position pays about $108,000 annually. Baker said he isn't anti-coal and supports using clean-coal technologies to generate power. "We can't be anti-coal or anti-natural-gas and expect us to meet our power needs," Baker said.... Read full story: http://www.denverpost.com |
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Saturday, 05 January 2008 |
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By Michael Morton Commentary published in the Rocky Mountain News Denver suburbs penalize solar investors. Residents investing in a typical 4-kilowatt solar system in cities around Denver must pay $600 to $1,500 for permit-related fees. Those costs are equal to from one to 2 1/2 years of the investor's energy savings. Denver residents, installing the same size system, pay a total of about $100, or less than 3 months worth of energy savings. Permit-related fees include zoning and building department fees and a use tax. City department staffs are highly qualified and provide valuable services for which they must be paid. Use taxes are equally important in that these taxes are used to pay municipality infrastructure expenses. If a proposed project will increase the demand on a city's infrastructure, use taxes should apply. Environmental, security and health-related costs are part of the infrastructure costs of city, state and federal governments and are paid for by taxes. Solar energy investments, by reducing the pollution and greenhouse gases that are associated with non-renewable fossil fuel-generated electricity, will lower city, state and federal infrastructure expenses.... Read full commentary: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/05/excessive-suburban-fees-unwisely-discourage-solar-/ |
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Tuesday, 11 December 2007 |
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Denver Post Editorial The U.S. House of Representatives did a favor for Colorado when it killed a provision in the energy bill last week that would have forever banned drilling for natural gas on the surface of Colorado's energy-rich Roan Plateau. We hope Gov. Bill Ritter will show a similarly balanced respect for both Colorado's economy and its environment later this month when he issues his comments on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's plans for developing the Roan, which contains an estimated 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas — 4 percent of America's proven reserves of the scarce fuel. The permanent ban on drilling on the Roan was sponsored by Colorado Reps. John Salazar and Mark Udall and supported by Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar. After the House removed the ban, Sen. Salazar said he would push for a one-year moratorium on any development on the Roan. |
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Monday, 12 November 2007 |
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Pueblo Chieftain Editorial While the Colorado Commission on Higher Education has proposed an 8 percent increase in state support for higher education next year - a proposal we have endorsed - there are still gaps in funding for the state’s colleges and universities. Recently, Senate Republican leaders unveiled a wide-ranging plan to shore up higher education, including a proposal for a permanent trust fund that would tap into the state’s surging oil and gas revenue to fund Colorado’s colleges and universities. The funding proposal by Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, and Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park, would generate an estimated $500 million to $1 billion in leasing fees to Colorado’s state government and another $100 million or more annually for the next 20 to 30 years in mineral royalties and state and local energy taxes. |
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