Legislature Doubles Renewable
Energy Requirement to 20%
April 8, 2007
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed a bill on March
27 that doubles the state’s renewable energy requirement to 20% by
2020. Ritter held a bill-signing ceremony for House Bill (HB) 1281
on a calm but overcast day at the national Wind Technology Center in
southern Boulder County.
The governor was joined more than 200 industry
representatives and by the bill’s sponsors in the Colorado
Legislature: Colorado State Representatives Jack Pommer (D-Boulder)
and Rob Witwer (R-Genesee) and Colorado Senator Gail Schwartz
(D-Snowmass Village). Also making appearances at the ceremony were
representatives from Xcel Energy, Tri-State Generation &
Transmission Association, and the Colorado Rural Electric
Association.
Ritter said, “HB-1281 will help stimulate the rural
areas at the heart of the New Energy Economy – regions like the
Eastern Plains and San Luis Valley where wind, sun, and agriculture
are abundant.” For more about HB-1281, see the governor’s March 16
press release:
http://www.colorado.gov/governor/press/march07/renewable-energy.html
Colorado Rural Electric Association Executive
Director Ray Clifton said that he appreciated that the governor had
taken the time to consult with the electric cooperatives about
HB-1281. He also said he appreciated the potential economic
opportunities that wind energy brings to his member cooperatives.
In a wide-ranging interview of Public Television
Station KBDI on March 24, Ritter talked about his energy initiatives
to build what he calls the new energy economy in Colorado. The
governor talked candidly about holding discussions over more than
two months with the Colorado Rural Electric Association and rural
electric cooperatives about HB-1281.
Ritter also admitted that the net metering bill,
HB-1169, was not part of the package of renewable energy bills
coming before the legislature with support from the governor’s
office. Nevertheless, he applauded the fact that a frank discussion
of the issues was taking place about net metering, and he recognized
net metering as an important ingredient to building a network of
businesses to support distributed generation throughout the state.
At the March 27 ceremony, Ritter also signed Senate
Bill (SB) 100, which establishes a procedure for building
high-voltage transmission capacity to sparsely populated windy
areas. The bill requires regulated utilities, Xcel and Aquila, to
identify Energy Resource Zones where the lack of transmission
capacity limits renewable energy development. Once identified,
utilities can then begin building transmission to those areas even
before wind power developments are built.
SB-100 was co-sponsored by Senate President Joan
Fitz-Gerald ( D-Coal Creek Canyon) and Representative Buffie
McFadyen (D-Pueblo West). Ritter said, “This bill allows us to break
the ‘chicken and the egg’ cycle whereby wind companies don’t build
turbines until there is adequate transmission capacity, and
utilities don’t build transmission capacity until there are
turbines.”. |
