As the days start to heat up, we are reminded of how critical it is that we continue our work supporting the rapid transition of Longmont’s electric generation away from fossil fuels. SRL and other local organizations have been hard at work pressuring decision makers in Longmont and at our power provider, PRPA, to read the writing on the wall and do the right thing: abandon climate change causing coal and gas and invest in solar, wind, and storage. To that end, here’s an update on our work.
Things are changing with the SRL Renewable Energy Committee!
The amazing Karen Dike has turned leadership over to Luc Nadeau, one of SRL’s new board members. And the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign is joining forces with us - allowing SRL to expand our reach and strengthen our impact. All are welcome to join us on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6:30 pm for a Zoom meeting to forge ahead with next steps.
On Tuesday, June 9th, SRL released a White Paper detailing the problems with PRPA’s current plans and calling for interim goals on the way to 100% renewable energy. Here’s an excerpt:
Portfolios 1, 2, and 4 ignore climate change and the need to rapidly move away from all carbon-based fuels. Total carbon dioxide pollution from the Rawhide power plant results in 2 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere per year. An additional 1 million tons, approximately, comes from the Craig power plant per year. The costs shown in the draft IRP fail to account for the social cost of carbon, which the PUC and the state legislature have recommended for utility long-range planning. It does not take into account that the EPA has deemed the Northern Front Range an ozone non-compliance area , that nitrous oxides are one of the main precursors for the formation of ground-source ozone, and that PRPA’s Rawhide coal-fired power plant is the largest single point emitter of nitrous oxides in Larimer County
Some of the other projects we’ve been involved with in the past few weeks:
Things are changing with the SRL Renewable Energy Committee!
The amazing Karen Dike has turned leadership over to Luc Nadeau, one of SRL’s new board members. And the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign is joining forces with us - allowing SRL to expand our reach and strengthen our impact. All are welcome to join us on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6:30 pm for a Zoom meeting to forge ahead with next steps.
On Tuesday, June 9th, SRL released a White Paper detailing the problems with PRPA’s current plans and calling for interim goals on the way to 100% renewable energy. Here’s an excerpt:
Portfolios 1, 2, and 4 ignore climate change and the need to rapidly move away from all carbon-based fuels. Total carbon dioxide pollution from the Rawhide power plant results in 2 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere per year. An additional 1 million tons, approximately, comes from the Craig power plant per year. The costs shown in the draft IRP fail to account for the social cost of carbon, which the PUC and the state legislature have recommended for utility long-range planning. It does not take into account that the EPA has deemed the Northern Front Range an ozone non-compliance area , that nitrous oxides are one of the main precursors for the formation of ground-source ozone, and that PRPA’s Rawhide coal-fired power plant is the largest single point emitter of nitrous oxides in Larimer County
Some of the other projects we’ve been involved with in the past few weeks:
- Recruited several Longmont businesses to sign a letter demanding that PRPA close the Rawhide coal fired power plant and plan for the transition to green jobs;
- Co-wrote a letter with Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy to PRPA (read the text here);
- Sponsored a webinar with renewable energy expert Karl Rabago on how PRPA can more efficiently plan for increased RE. Watch the full version, or the 15 minute version, HERE.
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