Longmont Celebrates National Drive Electric Week
Go HERE for more information on this year's celebration, including a live webinar with presentations from state and local leaders and an EV Motorcade down Main street!
SRL is advocating for Longmont City Council to adopt a GoEV Cities resolution. This would declare Longmont Longmont a GoEV City and pledge to develop a Transportation Electrification Plan with implementation strategies.
Stay tuned for more information!
SRL is advocating for Longmont City Council to adopt a GoEV Cities resolution. This would declare Longmont Longmont a GoEV City and pledge to develop a Transportation Electrification Plan with implementation strategies.
Stay tuned for more information!
ACTION ALERT: Tell City Council and PRPA NO NEW GAS!
August 20, 2020
PRPA SHOULD GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD ON AN IRP WITH A GOAL OF 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030:
Call to Action
I am writing to encourage you to reject the four portfolios as currently drafted in the Platte River Power Authority’s Integrated Resource Plan. A rapid transition away from fossil fuels and an investment in clean, renewable energy generation is needed to avert a climate crisis. PRPA should go back to the drawing board and develop portfolios that commit to adopting renewable energy.
While we applaud PRPA for committing to close the Rawhide coal plant by 2030, the IRP is a key planning document that sets forth the strategic direction for the next twenty years. The Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy released a white paper in June detailing a critique of the current portfolios.
Future generations of Coloradans are depending on PRPA to do the right thing and adopt an IRP that commits to 100% renewable energy generation. Please vote no on any IRP portfolio option that includes investment in fracked gas.
Sincerely,
____________
PRPA SHOULD GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD ON AN IRP WITH A GOAL OF 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030:
- Climate change threatens the health and quality of life of Coloradans now and for future generations. We can not wait to make necessary changes to keep atmospheric CO2 at low enough levels to avert a climate crisis.
- The technology needed to transition away from greenhouse gases is available to us now, and costs are steadily declining. Storage and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are rapidly evolving to support movement towards renewable energy generation.
- In 2018, city councils in all four cities passed resolutions committing to a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. That December, the PRPA Board followed with a Resource Diversification Policy with the same goal. Yet, the IRP contains only one portfolio that would achieve this goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030.
- The IRP process has lacked transparency. While we appreciate the opportunity for community engagement, we take issue with the way in which a community survey was conducted that misconstrued the IRP options and contained faulty assumptions.
- It’s time for PRPA to go back to the drawing board and work on an amended IRP that honors a commitment to 100% renewable energy.
- Transitioning our power from coal to fracked gas is simply swapping one problem with another. We know that the combustion of fracked gas releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is actually 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Methane’s high warming potential over a shorter period than carbon dioxide means that this GHG essentially controls how fast the warming happens, making it a deadly greenhouse. If we truly want to stave off the worst impacts of climate change on our communities and protect our climate for future generations, PRPA must plan for a future powered by clean energy, not fracked gas.
- The state of CO already has laws in place (HB-1261) to meet new climate goals and trending regulation across the West will make gas a bad long-term investment. Any new fracked gas infrastructure is bound to become a financial burden on ratepayers the same way coal has as CO moves to more clean energy to meet state carbon reduction targets.
- A 2019 study by the Rocky Mountain Institute, finds that 90% of proposed gas plants in the next five years could be cost-effectively avoided with clean energy, and are at risk of saddling customers with expensive, unnecessary fossil fuel infrastructure.
- This is also a social equity issue. The development of fracked gas jeopardizes the health and safety of our Colorado communities, often disproportionately impacting our poor and rural communities.
Call to Action
- Speak at the PRPA Board meeting on August 27th (Public comment is audio via Zoom and limited to 3 minutes.) Speak up and demand PRPA to go back to the drawing board and present an IRP with a commitment to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and NO NEW FRACKED GAS PLANT. Contact us to let us know if you want to speak.
- Send an email to PRPA Board Members or your City Council Members (see draft below.)
I am writing to encourage you to reject the four portfolios as currently drafted in the Platte River Power Authority’s Integrated Resource Plan. A rapid transition away from fossil fuels and an investment in clean, renewable energy generation is needed to avert a climate crisis. PRPA should go back to the drawing board and develop portfolios that commit to adopting renewable energy.
While we applaud PRPA for committing to close the Rawhide coal plant by 2030, the IRP is a key planning document that sets forth the strategic direction for the next twenty years. The Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy released a white paper in June detailing a critique of the current portfolios.
Future generations of Coloradans are depending on PRPA to do the right thing and adopt an IRP that commits to 100% renewable energy generation. Please vote no on any IRP portfolio option that includes investment in fracked gas.
Sincerely,
____________
- Click here to send to Longmont City Council
- Send to our 2 PRPA Board reps:
- Email Brian Bagley, Mayor of Longmont
- Email David Hornbacher, Director of Longmont Power
Longmont Renewable Energy Committee
The goal of the Renewable Energy committee is to work with the City of Longmont, the Platte River Power Authority, the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, and the public to advance Longmont’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. This committee organizes National Drive Electric Week-Longmont. The RE committee meets monthly via Zoom.
For more information please contact the SRL Renewable Energy Committee.
For more information please contact the SRL Renewable Energy Committee.
Join the Longmont Renewable Energy Committee!
Next Meeting:
Thursday, September 17th
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
RSVP HERE to get the Zoom link
Sustainable Resilient Longmont is teaming up with the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign to move forward on Longmont's goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. Join us for this meeting and find out how you can get involved and make a difference!
Thursday, September 17th
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
RSVP HERE to get the Zoom link
Sustainable Resilient Longmont is teaming up with the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign to move forward on Longmont's goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. Join us for this meeting and find out how you can get involved and make a difference!
Renewable Energy Committee Updates
PRPA to Close Rawhide Coal Plant by 2030
June 16, 2020 Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy Calls on PRPA to Implement 100% Renewable Energy in the Integrated Resource Plan
June 9, 2020
June 16, 2020 Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy Calls on PRPA to Implement 100% Renewable Energy in the Integrated Resource Plan
June 9, 2020
- Read the White Paper
Past Events and Videos
BACKGROUND
- On Jan. 9th, 2018 the Longmont City Council passed a Resolution 100_re_resolution_longmont_jan_2018.pdf committing Longmont to a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030.
- Now that Longmont has made this a goal, the Renewable Energy Committee will continue to support Longmont's transition to 100% renewable energy through education, advocacy and organizing events.
More Information
On December 5th, 2017, Mayor Brian Bagley signed a Mayoral Proclamation committing Longmont to a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030! We're grateful for this leadership on this important issue and are looking forward to an even stronger City Council Resolution in 2018. You can still sign the pledge below to be added to our email list and receive campaign updates.
The SRL Renewable Energy Campaign is a partnership with the Sierra Club Ready for 100 Campaign. Launched in summer 2017, we are supporting Longmont's transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. Email us to find out more about the SRL Renewable Energy Committee and get involved.
