Colorado
Clean Air - Clean Jobs Act: Making it a Reality
Clean Air-Clean Jobs Links
Testimony provided by Western Resource Advocates' Energy Program Director John Nielsen (pdf)
Western Resource Advocates played a central role in the crafting and passage of HB 1365, also known as the "Clean Air- Clean Jobs Act"(pdf). The legislation is the first in the nation to provide a framework for the retirement and replacement of aging coal-fired power plants with cleaner resources, including natural gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Retiring aging coal plants is one of the most significant actions that can be taken to achieve cleaner air, reduce the adverse health impacts from air pollution, and cut heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions.
Critical components fo the Clean Air Clean Jobs Act and Xcel Energy's Plan are:
- Xcel Energy would spend $1.3 billion over 12 years to convert 900MW of generation from Denver-area power plants from coal to cleaner sources.
- The act calls for emissions reductions of 75 percent less nitrogen oxide compounds by 2017, as well as reductions in sulfur dioxide, mercury and other emissions.
- Emissions reductions will be accomplished by transitioning to clean renewable energy sources, upgrading power plant emissions technologies, energy conservation, and replacing coal with natural gas in some cases.
While Western Resource Advocates generally supports Xcel's Plan, our testimony has asked the Colorado PUC to advance the retirement of some of the affected coal plants to 2017 or earlier.
New Mexico
Fighting Climate Change with the Clean Energy Standard
Western Resource Advocates is working to reduce the impact of climate change in the West through an innovative new clean energy standard.
Our clean energy standard can be adopted one state at a time, and places a price on carbon dioxide emissions (which contribute to climate change). It requires utilities to reduce the carbon footprint of their electricity generation each year. The standard encourages utilities to phase-out power generating sources that emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, such as coal plants, and transition to cleaner resources, such as renewable energy, that emit little to no carbon dioxide.
Western Resource Advocates is working to implement our clean energy standard in New Mexico. Once implemented, it can provide a track record for carbon regulation and serve as a model for other states to effectively combat climate change.