U.S. Senate
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(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(R) Somebody
80%
20%
Governor
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(D) Joe Neguse
(D) Phil Weiser
(D) Jena Griswold
60%
60%
40%↓
Att. General
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(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Alexis King
(D) Brian Mason
40%
40%
30%
Sec. of State
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(D) George Stern
(D) A. Gonzalez
(R) Sheri Davis
40%
40%
30%
State Treasurer
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(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
(D) Jerry DiTullio
60%
30%
20%
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Somebody
80%
40%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Somebody
80%
20%
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(D) Joe Salazar
50%
40%
40%
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
June 12, 2015 12:21 AM UTC
32 Comments
Great reporting MamaJ. Meanwhile, one in ten jobs in the domestic wind energy sector is in Colorado; a proposed one-gigawatt roof solar initiative in Colorado would create multiples of the possible job losses reported by the coal interests. If Tri-State had invested the tens of millions of dollars they blew on the Holcomb plant into next generation energy – we'd all be better off. A single cannabis grow project in Craig could gainfully employ anyone displaced. It's the 21st-century fellas it won't be powered by last-century's fuel source.
Agree. Great reporting and you, Michael, should run for something!
…besides 'the hills", BC?
yep.
maybe…for cover..?
Whether you run for office, or keep farming your hemp, and lobbying and advocating for hemp and renewables to maintain the health of rural economies and the planet, you will continue to make positive change in the world.
Some really good news out of FERC. Good for Colorado's rural electrics who want to transition; not so good for Tri-State (unless they can find ways to sell excess coal-fired power in the open market). The cliff notes are that rural electrics are free to negotiate with QF's (qualifying facilities) in their service territories; FERC won't regulate Tri-State as they concluded that Tri-State is wholly-owned by it's 44 cooperative members (will likely come as a surprise to Tri-State execs), not the other way around. Great joke bandied about that Tri-State isn't a Generation and Transmission Company with in-house lawyers, but a law firm with generation and transmission assets. Bad news: their investments in big, black holes in Mother Earth aren't likely to be found a prudent investment.
I understand the Gov has been pushing hard on the ColoWyo issue; it's time someone had an adult conversation with the miners about retraining and finding ways to build a transition industry in the northwest. Coal that can be mined at a profit is gone; we should be investing in these communities as a matter of state interest in the necessary transition – not giving them false hope via self-serving political rhetoric.
If I understand this correctly, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC)"s refusal to regulate Tri State is a good thing because now TriState has to look at what makes financial sense for its 44 member coops. The co-ops, in turn, have now gotten direction from FERC that they can disregard their old (coal-supplied) contracts with Tristate, and buy from small renewable and cogenerating facilities (QFs).
I found this news article about Montrose-Delta EA, which is a customer of Tristate's. They were previously obligated to buy 95% of their power from Tristate, which was all coal, and could only buy 5% from local small power QFs. Now, they can and are in fact obligated to buy more power from QFs.
Governor Hickenlooper is, unfortunately, more of a politician than a leader. As a politician, he mindlessly repeats the mantras of "Economic DOOM!!" propogated by the coal companies. The leader we would want him to be would be saying that coal could still be a backup resource while the NW area transitions to using more renewable power. That leader would reinforce the retraining and economic redevelopment initiatives which Craig's leaders have already embarked on. Instead, he's buying into the hysteria, and enforcing it.
Instead, we see Hick saying patently untrue things such as, "
Greenhouse gas regulations are here to stay, just like climate change itself. No amount of whining by the industry will make these go away. From this High Country News article, it appears that the EPA is already bending over backwards to give direction on how to comply, and trying to be flexible during the transition.
So when Hick says misleading things like "Shutting down Colowyo won't reduce coal burning," or "It's just a symbolic statement", it's really not helping.
In DMEA's petition to FERC they asked for three findings:
1) that Tri-State be deemed a public utility under FPA, sections 205/206
2) that DMEA's obligation to purchase from QF's supersedes the provisions in their wholesale contract with Tri-State
3) that DMEA has the right to negotiate power from QF's (which thereby reduces its purchases from Tri-State.
FERC punted on the 1st request, using the argument that Tri-State is wholly-owned by its 44 member coops (which are exempt from 205/206). That said, Tri-State is now under some purview of the Colorado PUC. As I mentioned before, I'm sure it will come as a surprise to many at TS headquarters that the coops own them.
DMEA won on the second and third issues. The position of FERC is that PURPA is intended to empower (it actually mandates) the development of small-scale power generation and as such, Tri-State can't preclude such development. The opportunity for Tri-State to get a rehearing is pretty low: the FERC decision was unanimous.
Under the order Tri-State is allowed to sell any power displaces by QF's in the open market. (they just joined the Southwest Power Pool so that's a sign they're seeking places to sell the displaced power). The question will be, who wants those electrons? It may also bring up a more interesting point regarding their new requirements with the Colorado PUC. With an ever-increasing amount of their energy being sold outside of their 44-member family, they are looking more and more like a merchant energy provider than a G&T; if you removed the revenue over the past decade from their P&L sheet that accounts for their "unanticipated non-member electrical sales", they'd be drowning in red ink.
The pressure from small, local projects that can now get in to the local grid is going to put a tremendous amount of pressure on things like ColoWYO.
So while we have our electeds continue to promote false hope, they should be quickly designing transition strategies. When you think you’re a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. There are plenty of options for NW Colorado if they want to join a 21st-century economy.
Delta smelt legal battle heads to Supreme Court
Not insignificant restriction on diversions of delta water have been in place for several years to protect the smelt. While the drought is, of course, the vastly bigger problem, this effort has affected water consumers.
Delta Smelt, Icon of California Water Wars, Is Almost Extinct
The One Who Smelt It, Delt(a) It (sorry, couldn't resist)
Clark just broadened his hysteria in mid-accusation without telling anyone.
The decision to divert delta water to protect smelt habitat was prompted by the NRDC and NFWS. WEG played no role.
Pcat and Kickshot, thanks for sniffing out the smelt. So there is some diversion of agricultural water in CA to protect endangered smelt, but the impetus came from the Fish and Wildlife people, not from Wild Earth Guardians, and the legal battles go back 40 years. Good to know.
Ken Clark, as usual, is using hyperbole and distortion of the facts to intensify the resident vs. environmentalist conflict, have a sensational show, and further a conservative "War on Coal" meme. I'm not seeing where saving endangered species has a large role in the Colowyo lawsuit – it's more like the proprietors didn't really do an environmental impact statement, and didn't properly inform the public of their plans.
I don't think any of us are truly informed on endangered species and what the effects of extinction might be down the road. That's sort of the point. We see a funny-looking smelt or a sage grouse and think, "Is saving that worth sacrificing jobs?"
But we're asking the wrong question. The question should be, "How can we come up with a solution that protects and enhances the environment for wildlife and humans?" Thinking outside the coal bin is required, but hasn't happened yet.
'
Yes.
It's very important, in all sorts of venues, to ask questions that don't already have the judgement baked in.
It's actually a very difficult skill to learn.
Greed and shortsightedness are the primary traits of our Republican Friends……..the exact opposite of what conservatism should stand for.
If they want to boycott New Belgium, I'll certainly do my best to make up the difference, as it is by far the best beer in the land.
I'll help…. I'll pick up a twelve pack tomorrow.
"Nobody wants to close Colowyo down overnight, or lay off workers"
Nobody?
I am OK with a shutdown. Coal is dirty and we need to move on.
Oh, by the way, the miners are not going to be successfully retrained as there are no jobs that pay that well in the middle of nowhere. Talk of retraining is delusional.
That's why places like North Dakota have low unemployment rates. Whenever the latest boom turns to bust everybody leaves. Voila… no unemployment problem. Who the hell wants to stay there a minute after the high paying job disappears?
Bill Ritter won his 2006 gubernatorial race without one dime of contributions from the Colorado Rural Electric Association (they gave all of their money to Beauprez). Then they fought every increase in our RPS, continued to pour millions in to the Holcomb folly, tried to circumvent their permitting process in Kansas through a (failed) Farm Bill amendment and launched their idiotic "War on Rural Colorado" over protest of Senate Bill 252 – even though they were at the same time negotiating the expansion of the Carousel wind farm in Kit Carson County, which made them near-compliant (and well ahead of the mandate schedule)
If these guys spent half as much time and money leading on this issue as they do inventing false enemies and pretending they live in isolation – we'd all be better for it
The SB252 freakout was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Totally contrived…
There is a good article in the current issue of Sierra magazine (Sierra Club); just received yesterday; that talks about how the environmental community has to change. It's one thing to close down polluting coal mines & power plants. Yet something else to actually show that the community cares about people losing their jobs and livelihoods. I wonder how many persons commenting on this piece; Michael excepted; have actually spent time in Craig and actually know people in that community?
Many of us here do know people in these communities or actually live in communities outside of metro Denver.
It's a valid point, CHB. I've visited Craig and that area, but as a tourist.
Most of the right wing "War on Coal" people also haven't really hung out in Craig, either. I'm pretty sure that even the boycotters are regular people trying to survive the best they can.
To write this, I read a lot of articles of people who had visited there and spent time there. I got the sense from reading them of a town and people under extreme stress, in transition from a comfortable known to an uncomfortable unknown, cornered by their reliance on an industry that is slowly becoming less important, because of both financial and environmental realities.
As I wrote, the community leaders in Craig have already seen the handwriting on the wall and are exploring alternatives for their town to survive. I don't doubt that it will be a rough patch of years – accessing government programs and jumping through bureaucratic hoops to get training and bring new industries to the county. Wages probably will decline, as they have found in other coal-reliant communities. (PA, KY, ). Legislatures will struggle over whether to keep incentivizing and trying to save coal, or to take advantage of new credits and new opportunities for industries like biomass.
There are lessons to be learned from Germany – it still uses coal, but only as a backup power source, getting most of its power from renewables – and Germany is a northern, cool country- it doesn't have the solar and wind resources Colorado has.
What I try to do is to not polarize the debate, not further entrench people in their positions. The right wing talkers take the opposite tack. They like polarization, because obscuring the realities on the ground helps their candidates get elected.
Mama Jama: thanks for your thoughtful reply. I spent a lot of time in Craig and MoCo during the 2000s working within a BLM community based, collaborative, process. Lots of good people there. The community has a lot to offer for a tourist based economy; half way between the Front Range and the Wasatch Front; half way between I-70 and I-80. It was a wonder to me during the BLM process that the community hadn't taken more advantage of its location.
And the heritage there is monumental. Very few people know, for example, that during the late 19th Century, Butch & Sundance hung out in Browns Park (western MoCo) when life got "too hot" elsewhere.
The town has known the "writing on the wall" for years now as the Trapper Mine, north of Craig, is expected to play out in a few years. MoCo has very good wind energy potential, but there is a lack of transmission lines to get that power out. On the positive side, Moffat and Routt counties subsidize daily bus service between Craig and Steamboat as the "Boat" has more and better paying jobs, beyond coal and the power plant.
I haven't and don't. I'm sure they, like the folks who used to manufacture textiles, or forge steel, or build automobiles, are decent hardworking folks. I've spent plenty of time with those other folks.
The reality is that our current model of capitalism isn't any good at re-homing displaced workers in any industry– but particularly those in the goods-producing supersector. That's not something that the enviros can change, or even effectively fight. It's something that we as a society have to address (or not). Do I wish that were different? Sure, but I embrace Democratic Socialism and am a neo-marxist. We should do everything for these folks that we can to allow them to continue to make a living, but we won't, just like we haven't for any of the hard-working honest folks in other industries that deserved our help just as much. Just like we don't for the hard-working honest folks who will continue to lose jobs as a result of the TPP. Coal miners aren't special. All of these folks are.
And it's not as if jobs in coal or oil shale or any fossil fuel industry have been nothing but good news in rural communities. I used to live on the western slope and have seen the busts closely follow the booms putting people out of work and tanking community economies time and again. It doesn't take liberal tree huggers to upset these people's lives and livelihoods. It happens all the time in every fossil fuel economy. It's the nature of the fossil fuel economy. If you really want something better for these people replace the roller coaster with a more boom and bust resistant energy economy.
Yup.
I don't think it is a realistic comparison between oil/natural gas and coal. I was living in Colorado when Black Sunday occurred in 1982; and the oil/gas industry has been very cyclical since. Not so coal, until the last few years.
I remember coal going bust in Carbondale and other west slope locations.
Does posting this message mean that I don't care about the folks who lost their job at the typewriter factory? Oy vey!
Didn't you have affection for the mobsters in The Sopranos?
Their industry dealt in death as well.
Clark wants to continue to deny the scope of climate change overall. He writes off California's drought problems as liberal over-reaction rather than industrial and consumer short-sightedness.
Excellent post, mama…
I used to live in Steamboat Springs and have been living in western Colorado for most of the last 42 years. They don't care much for "libruls" up there in Craig and they seem to relish the role of victim. Republican politicos and conservative ranchers and such have been bemoaning the assault on their lifestyles by "lefties" for as long as I can remember.