Noah Rott, noah.rott@sierraclub.org, 406-214-1990
WHEN: Wednesday, November 15, 2023. 12 - 1 p.m. MST
WHERE: Colorado State Capitol, 200 E Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80203 - West Steps
WHO: Sierra Club, 350 Colorado, Working Families Party, Mountain Mamas and more.
HOW: Organizations to make statements -- please email noah.rott@sierraclub.org for questions & inquiries.
WHAT & WHY:
Climate and justice advocates continue fighting for a vision of 100% clean, affordable energy, but the state's largest utility, which gets power from 14 gas plants in Colorado already, is trying to expand gas infrastructure.
This year, Xcel moved forward with two major energy plans - the second phase of the Energy Resource Planning (ERP) and their first legally-mandated Clean Heat Plan. Taken together, these plans show Xcel wants to build 600 megawatts of new gas power plants (one in Alamosa, and two sites near Longmont) and pursue the use of extremely expensive false climate solutions like "renewable" natural gas, and hydrogen. Xcel often describes a "low-carbon" future and the need for "diverse portfolios" which include unproven technologies like "renewable" methane, and even proposed a hydrogen blending project in Adams County.
These plans are proposed against the backdrop of Xcel's continued contributions and participation in the American Gas Association (AGA) and Coloradans for Energy Access. Recent reporting reveals the AGA purposefully misled Americans on the dangers of methane gas using the same tactics as the tobacco industry. The astroturfed Coloradans for Energy Access boasted that methane is the cheapest fuel source while Coloradans suffered from skyrocketing gas rates last year. In some cases, outlets had to retract this claim. By building out new capital investments like gas plants,, regardless of their necessity, Xcel could force customers to pay for stranded assets, (e.g. Comanche coal plant) while the company enjoys its guaranteed profits. Indeed inflation and folks struggling with rising energy prices hasn't stopped Xcel from enjoying another year of record profits -- for context, former Xcel CEO Ben Fowke earned $245,873 per week in 2021, over 4 times the average annual Colorado salary.
Advocates will call on Xcel Energy to formally leave the American Gas Association, and demand the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) order Xcel to reduce investments in unnecessary, harmful gas plants and to pursue ambitious building electrification and energy efficiency standards to cut methane out of buildings. Xcel's ERP could be approved by the PUC by the end of the year and the Clean Heat Plan in mid-2024.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.