While our society grapples with this historic crisis and its aftermath, there are many decisions about our future that still need making. Colorado is poised to begin two enormous state rulemakings this summer that will shape the energy landscape for a decade to come. Western Colorado Alliance will be in the room and at the dais, mobilizing hundreds of citizens like you to help craft our energy future.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission supplies power to 43 rural electric cooperatives representing over a million consumers, with most of them in rural Colorado places like Craig, Gunnison, Ridgway-Telluride, Durango, and Cortez. Tri-State is one of 63 such generation and transmission associations across the US. It is also one of the nation’s dirtiest and most costly. Tri-State’s historic reliance on an aging fleet of coal-fired plants has cost rural Colorado communities tens of millions in artificially high rates as cleaner, cheaper energy sources have become available.

Our members have been on the frontlines of Tri-State reform for the past two years and our hard work is delivering results. Within the past year, the state legislature has passed major bills to put Tri-State on a better path. Tri-State has announced its own unilateral vision for reforming its energy mix, including retirements for its Colorado coal plants and a shift towards cheaper wind and solar. Just this month, it announced a major new concession that will loosen its famously restrictive contracts to allow member cooperatives to develop more local renewables. More state legislation for Tri-State reform will emerge this year or next.

Now, Tri-State heads into two state rulemakings that will shine light on its opaque inner workings, require analysis of the climate and social cost of its decisions, and create a new set of rules for its future investments.
The first rulemaking will be conducted at the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC), currently set to begin in June. The PUC will create an Electric Response Plan (ERP) with deeply technical reporting of Tri-State’s financial and energy position, input from experts and stakeholders like Western Colorado Alliance, and sophisticated analysis and modeling for Tri-State’s future possibilities. In a historical development, mandated analysis around the social and climate cost of fossil fuels will shape these discussions. Phase One of the ERP begins in June and focuses on understanding Tri-State’s existing energy position. Phase Two, regarding Tri-State’s future planning and investment, is set to begin in December, stretching well in 2021. There will be numerous opportunities for public comment and testimony throughout.

The second rulemaking will be conducted at the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission, responsible for implementing Colorado’s boldly ambitious new statewide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050. This sprawling rulemaking, which will extend well beyond electricity supply topics to craft action on automobiles, agriculture, building energy use, and more, kicks off in June and will last well in 2021. It’s presently unclear how the rulemaking process will address electricity suppliers and we’ll have updates forthcoming.

Both these rulemakings will be arcanely technical, slow, and, quite frankly, boring. They will also be one of the largest opportunities for Coloradans to make a difference for climate, consumers, and local energy
independence in this generation. Western Colorado Alliance staff and members will be working with allies to make sense of the details so that you, and your communities, can have access to the insight and information needed to make a difference.

As we work to imagine a return to a better new normal that reflects our values, we can’t wait to get that process started.

Announcing WCA Energy
Influencers

The present quarantine is changing the way citizens learn, connect, and act, accelerating long-moving trends towards a more digital democracy. One of our favorite parts of energy democracy work is our ability to stay in touch with passionate citizens across a broad geography from Steamboat to Gunnison and Ridgway. As we head into another historic year for energy action, we’re proud to announce a new permanent social media campaign: WCA Energy Influencers!

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be working to bring insightful livestream townhalls and interviews with clean energy experts, policy thinkers, local leaders, entrepreneurs, and more to this campaign, alongside lots of other content to inform, excite, and connect people to both digital and real-world action. If you have stories to tell or ideas to share, get in touch today!

Stop by facebook.com/WCAEnergyInfluencers today and start to get plugged into the conversation!