Xcel Energy is the largest provider of energy in the state of Colorado. If you live in the Metro Denver area, chances are Xcel is your electric utility. Thanks to community and activist efforts over the years, Colorado has passed measures forcing the company to increase its use of clean, renewable energy. Despite this, Xcel still sources 63% of its energy from fossil fuels and continues to oppose efforts to move faster.
Meanwhile Xcel siphons over half a billion in profits annually to Wall Street investors, and seeks to grow that annually, despite electricity becoming cheaper thanks to renewables.
A key opportunity to shift Xcel to clean, affordable and renewable energy is its Electric Resource Plan (ERP). An ERP is a ten year plan for how Xcel will power the state and how much they can profit from it. The ERP maps out what coal and gas plants close and by when as well as what new projects like wind and solar will come on line.
Xcel’s Plan to Increase Our Energy Bills and Continue Fossil Fuel Profiteering
Xcel released their preferred plan in 2021 and unsurprisingly they want to keep profiting off fossil fuels at the expense of us and the planet.
Key items include:
- Increasing our energy bills to line the pockets of Wall Street investors
- Running the state’s largest coal plant, Comanche 3, until 2035
- Running the Cherokee CC gas plant until 2055
- Running the Arapahoe gas plant until an unknown date
Continued pollution and fueling the climate crisis literally means more death in already suffering communities.
Denver Ecosocialists’ Clean Energy Plan for the People
Instead we need a plan that will lower our energy bills, transition to clean energy and democratize the grid.
We demand the following:
- Close all coal plants and the Arapahoe and Cherokee gas plants by 2030
- Transition to 100% renewable energy for Denver by 2030
- Help coal and natural gas plant employees’ transition to new jobs by covering their workplace training costs and guarantee them a well-paying union job
- Increase rooftop solar by lifting the net metering cap and paying us fully for the electricity we contribute to the grid from solar panels
- Democratize the grid by building rooftop solar, parking lot solar, community owned storage, and upgrading the grid to support this distributed energy.
- Finance all new projects through public banking to save money and invest money back into our communities (not Wall Street).
- Lower our energy bills by passing on the savings renewable energy will bring, not allow Xcel to keep raising rates and pocketing the profits.
How We Win
Xcel’s Electricity Resource Plan must be approved by the Public Utility Commission (PUC), a section of our state government. The PUC exists to,
“serve the public interest by effectively regulating utilities and facilities so that the people of Colorado receive safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced services consistent with the economic, environmental and social values of our state.”
Four governor-appointed people serve on the PUC-
- Republican Doug Dean, Director
- Democrat Eric Blank, Commissioner
- Democrat Megan Gilman, Commissioner
- Independent John C. Gavan, Commissioner
Their track record of regulating Xcel “consistent with the economic, environmental and social values of our state” is a mixed bag, to put it generously. However, when public attention is on, they have followed through with their responsibilities.
It’s up to each of us to raise our voices and make clear to the PUC that they need to stand up to Xcel’s lobbyists and do the right thing by passing a plan that reduces our energy bills by shifting to clean, affordable and renewable energy.
Thousands Of Us Commented on the Plan
All Colorado residents, regardless of age and citizenship, can leave a public comment on Electric Resource Plans. Every comment is read and tallied by the PUC.
Over a thousand people commented in favor of clean energy, much more than the opposition. You can read those comments by visiting the Colorado Government’s Archive of Electronic Filings.
Search for Documents with a Proceeding Number of 21A-0141E and Document Type Comments.
Pueblo Residents Demand the Comanche Coal Plant Close
On October 28, 2021 over two hundred Pueblo residents spoke out against Xcel’s plan to run the state’s largest, dirtiest coal plant, until 2040. 2030 is the absolute latest we can run coal to avoid the worst of an already worsening climate crisis.
Over Hundred Coloradans Speak Out at the Statewide Public Hearing
Hundreds again showed up on December 2, 2021 to continue demanding a swift and just transition. The meeting was scheduled to end at 6pm but ran well past 7. Person after person spoke out in favor of the above demands.
Organizing in Response to the Final Electric Resource Plan
The Public Utility Commission will announce their final decision on Xcel’s Electric Resource Plan in the spring of 2022.
We’re organizing contingency plans for the various outcomes that could come out from this process. Whatever the PUC decides, we’ll continue to work to end the fossil fuel era, democratize the grid and win energy justice.
If you have any other questions or just want to get involved, email us at ecosocialist.committee@denverdsa.org or attend an upcoming meeting.
We have a world to win!
Denver DSA 