By Ann Rascalli

DENVER —  Gov. Bill Ritter today signed into law the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act aimed at  upgrading aging Front Range coal-fired power plants to operate on cleaner natural gas.

The measure brought together an unusual coalition of supporters that are normally on opposite sides of the issues, including the Governor’s biggest Republican critic, Senate Minority Leader Josh Penryof Grand Junction, and the state’s natural-gas industry, which has criticized Ritter for spearheading new oil-and-gas regulations. Other supporters included environmentalists, Xcel Energy, a handful of additional GOP lawmakers and a majority of Democrats in both chambers. Penry and other politicians who backed the measure argued Colorado needs to get out ahead of tougher federal Environmental Protection Agency air-quality standards and that this bill achieves that, plus helps the state’s natural-gas industry. Public health officials praised it for a different reason.

“All Coloradans will breathe easier with the signing of this law,” said Dr. Mark Johnson, executive director of Jefferson County Public Health and immediate past president of Public Health Directors of Colorado. “Policies like this that clean up our air are vital because they prevent disease, save lives, reduce hospitalizations and improve our overall health, which also has measurable cost-savings benefits.”

Not surprisingly, the biggest opponents of the legislation have been representatives of the coal industry. They predict its passage will result in production losses of at least 2.6 million tons of Colorado coal that is currently utilized in the Front Range power stations, an amount equal to nearly 25 percent of the in-state market for Colorado coal, according to Stuart Sanderson, President of the Colorado Mining Association.

“What energy consumers will get are dramatically higher electricity rates,” Sanderson said, “as natural gas supplies are constrained and average costs exceed that of coal by more than 300%.” “It’s ironic,” Sanderson added, “that Xcel Energy announced an eight percent rate hike, approximately $52.7 million, attributable to gas costs on the day this legislation was introduced.”

Still, the bill enjoyed widespread support from a host of environmental organizations. “The Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act is a breath of fresh air for Colorado’s Front Range communities, which have been suffering the public health impacts of dirty air from coal-fired power plants,” said Elise Jones, executive director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition.

“We applaud the leadership of Governor Ritter and the Legislature in developing a creative solution to our air quality challenges while moving us toward a more sustainable energy future – converting polluting coal plants, increasing renewable energy, and when using natural gas, ensuring that the development is done right.”

John Nielsen, energy program director, Western Resource Advocates, said, “This new law creates a coordinated framework to reduce harmful air pollution in an efficient and cost-effective way. It will result in cleaner air and healthier communities and will further strengthen Colorado’s position as a clean-energy leader.”
 
The coal-fired plants that will be replaced or updated with cleaner sources of energy are approaching the tail end of their projected operational lives. These plants face potentially significant and costly upgrades, and emit large amounts of a number of harmful pollutants.