Implementing Colorado’s Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act
On August 13, 2011, we submitted our proposed emissions-reduction plan under the Colorado Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Our plan is a uniquely Colorado solution that produces cleaner air and better reliability at a low cost.
Learn more about our emissions-reduction plan:
We support Colorado’s Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act – state legislation enacted in spring of 2010 that requires regulated utilities, like Xcel Energy, to work to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants. It is an initiative that can produce cleaner air for Colorado communities, while helping to minimize the cost of emissions reductions for our customers.
Under the act, we are required to develop a multi-year plan to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 70 to 80 percent or greater from 900 megawatts of coal-fired generation by 2018. We have studied hundreds of scenarios for achieving these emissions reductions. Specifically, we have looked at:
- retrofitting coal-fired plants with emissions-control equipment
- refueling plants with natural gas (including increased use of existing natural gas generation)
- retiring and replacing plants with natural gas or other lower or non-emitting energy sources and /or energy efficiency programs
Several checks and balances are built into the legislation to protect utility customers and ensure proposed emissions reductions help Colorado comply with current and reasonably foreseeable future air quality requirements, while also minimizing the risk of such an investment to our company.
The legislation calls for:
- the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to analyze and approve plans based on the ability to meet clean air standards
- the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to approve any emissions-reduction plan based on consumer costs and environmental improvement
- the ability for utilities to recover costs associated with an emissions-reduction plan in an efficient and timely manner
Read our fact sheet and learn more about our work under the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act.
Learn more about the power plants included in our emissions-reduction plan- Arapahoe, Cherokee, Hayden, Pawnee, and Valmont.
This is groundbreaking legislation, and there are many special interests that plan to participate in the process – from the coal and natural gas industries to environmental advocates. More than 30 parties have signed on to contribute to the utilities commission process. On August 13, 2010, we will file with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission a cost-effective plan that provides significant environmental benefit based on our study results.
To access all of our documents and others related to the utilities commission case, please visit the Colorado Public Utilities Commission website. You will need to register on the website to access files. Registering is easy and directions are provided. Unless you are actively involved in this case or others, you will want to register under “non-filer registration.” The proceeding number is 10M-245E, and you can choose to search for related documents, decisions, filings, meetings and proceedings.
If you have questions about Xcel Energy’s involvement in the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act, please contact us.
