Colorado Independent’s Williams appears on PBS energy show with Ritter, Xcel CEO Eves

Colorado Independent energy and environmental reporter David O. Williams will appear tonight on the Rocky Mountain PBS show “Colorado State of Mind” on a panel that includes former Gov. Bill Ritter, Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel Energy) president and CEO David Eves and Western Resource Advocates executive director Karin Sheldon.

Solar Energy purchasers will see lower subsidies

Under a new agreement awaiting approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), solar purchasers would see upfront rebates for the purchase of solar units reduced or eliminated.

New report puts a price on water used to generate electricity in Colorado

In the wake of a recent report showing Colorado will face severe water shortages by 2050, a Boulder-based conservation group has released a study comparing the water consumption of conventional coal-fired power plants to cleaner burning forms of fuel. Western Resource Advocates’ (WRA) new report, “Every Drop Counts: Valuing the Water Used to Generate Electricity,” found that in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, power plants consume an estimated 395,000 acre feet of water a year.

Xcel files plan to cut 900 megawatts of coal-fired electrical power

Xcel Energy, the state’s largest electric power utility, today filed a plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that will ensure the Minneapolis-based company complies with the new Clean Air Clean Jobs Act aimed at drastically reducing coal-fired power plant emissions.

Tri-State strikes deal with environmental group to close PUC investigation

Westminster-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the state’s second largest power provider behind Xcel Energy, reached a deal with environmentalists Wednesday that prompted the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to close its case investigating stepped-up state oversight of the member-owned utility.…

Shell official confirms thirsty nature of oil shale, denies push to ‘corner water market’

A Shell Oil official confirmed Friday that the “in situ” oil shale production the company is researching at its Mahogany facility near Rangely currently consumes about three barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced.

Oil giants have “cornered the market” on Western Slope water rights, study says

Six energy companies with plans for large-scale oil shale development on the Western Slope, led by ExxonMobil and Shell, have “cornered the market” on water in northwestern Colorado.

The study by Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates concludes that the oil shale activity envisioned by energy companies and some state and federal lawmakers would consume as much water as the entire Denver metro area on an annual basis.