XCEL, TRI-STATE TO PARTNER ON $180 LINE

DENVER —  Hoping to strengthen the state’s power grid and meet increasing electricity demands, Colorado’s two largest power companies — Xcel Energy Inc. and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association — said last week that they will team up to build a new, $180 million, transmission line in the southern part of the state.

Called the “San Luis Valley-Calumet-Comanche Transmission Project”, the new line would run from the San Luis Valley in south-central Colorado to Walsenburg and north to Pueblo and applications for approval have already been filed by the state Public Utilities Commission.

“Tri-State and Xcel Energy are building needed transmission infrastructure to serve the state’s long-term needs and support the goals of the New Energy Economy,” said Joel Bladow, Tri-State’s senior vice president of transmission, in a statement. “This project is a great example of our coordinated efforts to ensure reliable power delivery throughout the region.”

Kent Larson, vice president for Xcel’s transmission and operating services, said the two utilities “are combining our resources and assets to put forward a strong plan that addresses load growth and supports future renewable energy development.” Before construction can begin on the new transmission line, the PUC must issue a ruling that it is needed. In addition, the utilities will need land use approvals from local governments along the line’s path.

BOULDER COUNTY TO TAKE FRESH LOOK
AT BUILDSMART

By Laura Snider/Original Source

BOULDER — In the year since Boulder County’s green-building rules have gone into effect, new houses haven’t gotten much more energy efficient — they’ve just loaded on more solar panels.The BuildSmart program requires new houses and remodels in unincorporated areas of the county to achieve a certain “home energy rating.” That’s calculated by combining the building’s energy efficiency — taking into account features such as insulation, air sealing, passive solar design and high-efficiency appliances — and its supply of renewable energy.

“We are not necessarily getting better building envelopes from the BuildSmart regs, just bigger photovoltaic systems,” said a recent report to the county commissioners from the building department.

This is just one of the ways in which the actual results of the stringent green-building codes have differed from the intended outcomes. On Tuesday, county commissioners will discuss a variety of potential amendments to the BuildSmart program — one of the strictest green-building codes in the country — in an effort to bring the results back inline with the intentions. “We knew that we were plowing some new ground here,” said Commissioner Will Toor. “That’s why we planned to review BuildSmart during the first year and make changes.”

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WILLIAMS CLEARED IN ROCK SPRINGS CONTAMINATION CASE

By John Colson/Original Source

PARACHUTE — State oil and gas regulators have cleared the Williams Production RMT natural gas company of involvement in the contamination of a spring in western Garfield County. But the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is still investigating whether another firm might have had something to do with the contamination of the spring.

The investigation is based on a complaint filed by a rancher in June of 2008, who maintained that a spring on his land, known as Rock Spring, located northwest of Parachute, had been contaminated by oil and gas companies operating nearby. The COGCC issued Notices Of Alleged Violation regarding suspicions that either Oxy Petroleum Corp. or Williams were responsible for the contamination, and that benzene, a known carcinogen, had been detected in tests of the spring.

After the investigation, which included an internal probe by Williams Production, the COGCC concluded that Williams was not the culprit, according to Chris Canfield of the COGCC. But, said Canfield on Friday, “We clearly have some unfinished business with Oxy.”

“The company is extremely pleased,” said spokeswoman Susan Alvillar, “although it did cost us time and it did cost us money” to overcome what she said was a case of being “guilty until proven innocent.”

NEW ENERGY ECONOMY BILLS SIGNED BY RITTER

LAKEWOOD — Gov. Bill Ritter today visited hundreds of students at Foothills Elementary School to sign into law three major New Energy Economy bills, including one that will help schools invest in solar panels, wind turbines and hybrid or electric buses.
 
House Bill 1312, sponsored by Rep. Andy Kerr and Sens. Gail Schwartz and Chris Romer, creates an innovative “Renewables for Schools” loan program to help schools afford clean-energy projects and electric or hybrid buses so they can reduce utility costs and invest those savings back where they belong – in the classroom. In January, with the help of the Governor’s Energy Office, Foothills Elementary installed a 9.5 kilowatt solar system on its roof.
 
“Schools all across Colorado spend more money on their utility bills than on computers or books combined,” Gov. Ritter told students during a schoolwide assembly. “This new law will help schools cut down those utility costs so they can invest the savings in you, in your teachers and in your classrooms. The reason we are building a New Energy Economy today is so we can lead Colorado forward for you.”

House Bill 1126, the solar thermal jobs bill, sponsored by Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst and Senate President Brandon Shaffer, will create hundreds of good-paying green-collar jobs according to the sponsors by offering incentives to lower the cost of manufacturing and installing solar hot-water heaters. “It’s not hot air to say that solar hot water cuts energy costs and creates jobs,” said Rep. Hullinghorst. “Besides reducing our carbon footprint, solar hot water will put more money into people’s pockets and more jobs into the economy.”

Senate Bill 124, sponsored by Sen. Jim Isgar and Rep. Ellen Roberts, is a bi-partisan measure that helps farmers and ranchers participate in the New Energy Economy. It allows the state’s Department of Agriculture to extend the Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy (ACRE) Program, which develops energy-related projects that helps farmers and ranchers use renewable energy.

TELLURIDE RENEWS ITS ENERGY VOWS

By Katie Klingsporn/Original Source

Three years ago, in a burst of green enthusiasm, the Town of Telluride signed on to a trio of carbon emission reducing campaigns. By doing so, Telluride pledged to reduce its carbon emissions from 2004 levels by at least 15 percent by December 2010, and by an additional 15 percent of the same levels by 2015.

The town has made a lot of headway. But with 2010 just around the corner, it’s become clear that the town won’t make good on those pledges (Telluride’s carbon emissions actually increased in 2008 from 2005 levels). And recently, the town council decided to step away from those goals in favor of a more regional and long-range approach. The town council this week signed on to Gov. Bill Ritter’s Climate Change Action Plan.

This time, Telluride has adopted goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, along with pledging to work with regional partners and private sectors to achieve these reductions. The New Community Coalition brought this resolution to the town of Telluride as part of a blanket effort to have Telluride, Mountain Village, San Miguel County and other regional bodies sign up.

“It’s a very good tool, and it’s very good for all of us to be on the same page regionally moving ahead,” said Regional Sustainability Coordinator Kris Holstrom.

But nobody’s saying it’s going to be easy. The town has already picked clean the low-hanging fruit by replacing lights and inefficient computer systems, removing extra appliances, putting heaters on timers and turning off electronics at night. It implemented an effluent head recapture system at the wastewater treatment plant that resulted in an 87 percent reduction in natural gas usage. And by implementing a more efficient system in the bike path underpass, town cut electricity use there by 98 percent.

GAS IS RISING AS MEMORIAL DAY LOOMS

By Gargi Chabrabarty/Original Source    

Gasoline prices across Colorado have jumped about 20 cents in the past couple of weeks, and experts say costs could climb another dime or so by Memorial Day weekend — the busiest of the year.But the rally won’t push the price of a gallon of regular over $3, said Bryant Gimlin, energy risk manager at Denver-based Gray Oil Co., a wholesale distributor of gasoline and diesel.

“Prices are trending higher; they might go up 5 to 10 cents by Memorial Day,” Gimlin said. “But prices certainly won’t touch $3 a gallon.” About 12.6 percent of the state’s population is expected to take to the roads over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA Colorado.

“That might lead to some temporary increase in pump prices,” said spokeswoman Wave Dreher. “But AAA Colorado is projecting we should go no higher than $2.50 a gallon this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if we are closer to $2.40.”

Colorado’s average price Friday for regular was $2.252, up slightly from Thursday’s $2.244. Average pump prices ranged from $2.199 in Denver to $2.613 in Vail.
A Diamond Shamrock station at Broadway and West 10th Avenue was selling regular gasoline for $2.19.

BYPRODUCT OF OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION COULD HELP BOOST WATER SUPPLIES

Posted by Brian Allmer/Original Source

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congresswoman Betsy Markey are seeking funding for local efforts to turn “produced water” into a resource that could benefit drought-stricken communities and help ease the demand for water in Colorado and the West.

In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Bennet and Markey urged the Secretary to allocate funding from the Interior Department’s FY 2009 discretionary budget towards produced water demonstration grant projects.  The lawmakers also stated a commitment to work with Congress over the coming year to acquire additional funding in FY 2010 for a grant program created under the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008.  

Produced water is by far the largest volume byproduct or waste stream associated with oil and gas exploration and production. According to the National Energy Technology Laboratory, approximately 15-20 billion barrels of produced water are generated each year in the United States from nearly a million wells.

Currently, produced water is an environmental hazard and an impediment to efficient energy production, especially in the Colorado River Basin, which also faces a chronic shortage of freshwater.   Reclamation of produced water for beneficial uses could help address all of these problems.  Some facilities for treating produced water have proven successful, but the use of the technology is not widespread.