Podcasts about colorado energy office

Will Toor is Director of the Colorado Energy Office. We'll discuss the implications for Colorado of Congress overturning California's vehicle emissions waiver (as Colorado was following at least some of California's policies.) We'll also talk about the (ridiculously expensive and likely impossible) goal of nearly eliminating "greenhouse gas" production by electric power utilities within the next 5 (or even 15) years.CEO Staff | Colorado Energy OfficeDid Congress kill Colorado's EV mandate?Congress votes to rescind California vehicle emissions waiver | Utility DiveTroubles among Colorado utilities - Big PivotsCSU asks state for options to help meet 2030 energy goals | News | gazette.com

GREEN ENERGY IS EXPENSIVE AND UNRELIABLE ENERGY And Amy Oliver Cooke writes about it here for Complete Colorado. This is my favorite part:Environmentalists appealed to consumers by saying wind and solar would save ratepayers money. From the outset, Governor Polis refused to provide a detailed cost analysis of his plan while rejecting Independence Institute's 2017 projection that the transition could cost $45 billion. Polis insisted the Institute's estimates were inflated and modeled a plan that wasn't even his. Yet, Polis never offered an alternative figure, saying, instead, he knows it will be less.Fast forward to 2024. The Colorado Energy Office's (CEO) Ascend Analytics report offered an acknowledgment and a sobering warning: Polis's wind, solar, and battery-only system would require 69,000 megawatts of new capacity by 2040 and still “barely meet reliability targets.” At $61 billion, it's also the most expensive scenario studied. That figure doesn't even include the billions of dollars needed for transmission costs. The total system cost will be far greater.Once again, the Institute did the math. The total system cost for Polis' plan, including storage, necessary overbuild, backup, property taxes, and utility profits, new wind and solar costs $280–$319 per megawatt-hour, compared to $32 for existing coal and $40 for gas. Wind and solar costs aren't just expensive—they're economically destabilizing.Amy is on the show to discuss at 1pm, but you really should watch her great show with Jake Fogelman called Power Gab here.

On today's newscast: Pitkin County is set to repeal a pandemic-era ordinance that allowed restaurants to expand seating for social distancing; an all-women's ski festival will be returning to Sunlight Mountain in Glenwood Springs this April; and the Colorado Energy Office has released a new “microgrid roadmap” for 2025 and beyond. Tune in to these stories and more.

On today's newscast: Bolstered by a $240,000 grant from the Colorado Energy Office, the Colorado River Valley Economic Development Partnership plans to staff a position dedicated to economic diversification around clean energy; the RFTA bus driver union has filed a notice of intent to strike with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment; local author Eme Cole will speak about her self-published novel at The Aspen Hive next week; and more.

On today's newscast: Silt town trustees took a page from Garfield County's book and declared itself a non-sanctuary county, CLEER is partnering with the Colorado Energy Office to let people know about state funding for EV charging, Snowmass will wrap up the ski season this weekend with its annual party and pond skim at Elk Camp, and more.

This is episode 1 of 4 discussing the national organization BS + Beer. “Concentrate on that control and predictability, everything is about control and predictability.” Join us this week as we talk with Robby Schwarz about BUILDTank and the foundations of building science and energy modeling. We kick off this Deep Dive Series with Robby and Devon discussing Building Science in our studio. They set up future episodes that will discuss Energize Denver and feature a LIVE podcast at BS + Beer Denver!  Robby has been a champion of home performance for over 25 years, focusing on building performance, applied building science, and system thinking.  He is committed to helping industry partners, builders, code jurisdictions, and others understand residential energy, applied building science, systems thinking, home performance and our role in the built environment. His interest started in 1995, while exploring how to incorporate green building materials into the production building environment.  Soon after, Robby founded his first company, BuiltWright, Inc.  In 2006, he cofounded EnergyLogic, now the largest energy rating firm of its kind in Colorado. In 2020 he became the principal thinker and founder of BUILDTank, Inc., a pragmatic building think tank specializing in actionable applied building science solutions. When getting his hands dirty doing the work he finds that ideas are stimulated, and innovative change can occur. Using what he has learned from working on thousands of homes, Robby has helped train and lead the industry.  He is actively involved in energy code development, builder and trade training, and educating the next generation of residential energy experts.  He has helped Colorado jurisdictions develop and implement their energy codes, presented code language that was successfully adopted at the national ICC® code hearings, and encouraged implementation of the simulated performance path for code compliance.  His ability to integrate applied building science and systems thinking with building programs such as Energy Star®, Indoor airPlus®, and DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes® has lead to thousands of certified homes in Colorado. Robby is a sought-after trainer and routinely presents at RESNET®, EEBA, the ENERGY STAR® Summit, the Colorado Chapter of the IECC®, Colorado Energy Office, and local Home Builders Associations. Watch a promo video for this Deep Dive Series!  Listen to Robby's podcast, BuildCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/2M8c6vIFahbGsCBl675BAr 

A grant from the Colorado Energy Office will allow the City of Durango to double the number of e-bike rebates for 2024. Speaking of bikes, make sure yours is ready to go, or try out the Way to Go Durango app for the annual Winter Bike-to-Work Day this February. And make sure your peace signs are polished and your headbands are tightened for Peace, Love, and Snowdown this weekend! By Hannah Robertson. Watch this story at www.durangolocal.news/newsstories/grants-for-a-more-sustainable-transit This story is sponsored by Sky Ute Casino and Serious Texas BBQ.Support the show

Today – a discussion on Colorado's renewable energy future with Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, and a focus on geothermal energy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Current and upcoming legislation that will impact greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, zero emission vehicles and consumer energy costs. Chris Piper, Director of Legislative Affairs at the Colorado Energy Office shares this and much more, in a very engaging presentation and discussion. Colorado Energy Officehttps://energyoffice.colorado.gov/ This episode was recorded at the Sustainability in Progress  (SIP) virtual event on October 18, 2023. Sustainability in Progress is a monthly program of the Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future. Join us (free) the third Wednesday of every month. Register for the November 15, 2023 Event (on Zoom): Have Yourself a Low Impact HolidayNovember 15, Noon to 1 PM Register Here The mission of Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future is to promote regional sustainability and advance the Pikes Peak region's sustainability plan (PPR2030) through regional collaboration and outreach. Connect with us at peakalliance.org The following environment/sustainability organizations in the Pikes Peak region collaborate to produce the Peak Environment podcast about environmental stewardship, sustainable living and enlightened public policy in the Pikes Peak Region. Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future https://www.peakalliance.co/ Pikes Peak Permaculture https://www.pikespeakpermaculture.org/ GrowthBusters https://www.growthbusters.org Keep up with all the organizations and events making our area a better place to live. Follow on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode:      

As EV adoption continues to grow, drivers will need ready access to charging infrastructure that can power their ride. States need to ensure that both commercial and residential property developers are thinking ahead and building for an EV-driven future. On this episode of EV Hub Live, special guest host Zack Strauss—the host of Atlas's Buildings Hub Live—will interview Vanessa Warheit from the EV Charing for All Coalition and Adam Berry from the Colorado Energy Office about how states are approaching not only how to ensure there are enough chargers out there for future drivers, but crucially how they states can ensure new development is equitable for all EV drivers. The coalition recently released the EV Building Codes Toolkit, which helps state offices and community organizers to encourage implementation of equitable policies for EV charging building codes. This is a unique convergence of Atlas's EV and Buildings live shows that you won't want to miss!

Meet Robby Schwartz, founder of the BuildTank and the BuildTank Podcast who aims  Robby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robby-schwarz-b17b956/ I have been engaged in Applied Building Science, Resiliency and Sustainability, energy efficiency, Codes etc. since the early 1990's. My experience is varied, including several years working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, traveling the world, working in the construction trades, and then as a consultant with production and custom builders, code jurisdictions, private clients, and the Colorado Energy Office, amongst others. I started BUILDTank, inc. to be a practical building think tank whose mission is to use what we learn by applying building science in the field to affect meaningful change in the construction industry. To chase issues that hold the industry back and generate ideas and innovations that move sustainable building into mainstream building.   Podcast details: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/buildtank-buildcast/id1554383191 At BuildTank, a pragmatic building think tank, our mission is to use what we learn applying building science to affect meaningful change in the construction industry. The BUILDCast is the next step. Through conversations, we will learn something new from our guests' story that could be the catalyst to take sustainable buildings to mainstream building. We will concentrate on the “story”. No two second intro, instead a deep dive into life experiences that create interesting lives and ultimately move our industry forward. Join me and learn something new from each conversation.     This episode was recorded in August 2023.  

Pueblo Transit received notice of award from the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) for the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative. This is a continuation of the Ozone Season Transit Grant Program with the Colorado Energy Office which began in August of 2022, and now has been expanded to include the summer months of June, July and August.

Pueblo Transit received notice of award from the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) for the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative. This is a continuation of the Ozone Season Transit Grant Program with the Colorado Energy Office which began in August of 2022, and now has been expanded to include the summer months of June, July and August.

In episode 218, Colorado sets the stage for additionality requirements. And Toyota goes racing with liquid hydrogen. I'll go over all of this on today's hydrogen podcast.Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the podcast. Please feel free to email me at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com with any questions. Also, if you wouldn't mind subscribing to my podcast using your preferred platform... I would greatly appreciate it. Respectfully,Paul RoddenVISIT THE HYDROGEN PODCAST WEBSITEhttps://thehydrogenpodcast.comCHECK OUT OUR BLOGhttps://thehydrogenpodcast.com/blog/WANT TO SPONSOR THE PODCAST? Send us an email to: info@thehydrogenpodcast.comNEW TO HYDROGEN AND NEED A QUICK INTRODUCTION?Start Here: The 6 Main Colors of Hydrogen

Welcome to Episode #376 of the 303 Endurance Podcast. We're your hosts Coach Rich Soares and 303 Chief Editor, Bill Plock. Thanks for joining us for another week of endurance interviews and discussion.   Show Sponsor: UCAN Generation UCAN has a full line of nutrition products powered by LIVESTEADY to fuel your sport.   LIVSTEADY was purposefully designed to work with your body, delivering long-lasting energy you can feel. LIVSTEADY's unique time-release profile allows your body to access energy consistently throughout the day, unlocking your natural ability to stay focused and calm while providing the fuel you need to meet your daily challenges.   Use UCAN in your training and racing to fuel the healthy way, finish stronger and recover more quickly!  Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co   In Today's Show Endurance News - PTO's Recent Changes: Who Do They Benefit? What's new in the 303 - Bicycle Colorado Declares 2023 as Year of the eBike Video of the Week - Descent Disciples ||Vol 13|| Tom Pidcock vs. The Fish   Endurance News: PTO's Recent Changes: Who Do They Benefit?  AMANDA WENDORFFWed Feb 22 2023   On Monday, the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) issued a press release announcing a new event - the European Open, to take place in Ibiza at the same time as the ITU Long Course World Championships on May 6, 2023. Further down in that announcement, however, were some quieter announcements that immediately ruffled the feathers of many professional triathletes.   Specifically, the PTO announced that in 2023, the starting fields at the PTO Tour events (the European Open, the U.S. Open and the Asian Open) will be tightened up, with only 30 athletes per gender on the start line for the European and U.S. Opens, and 20 athletes per gender at the Asian Open, down from 40 starters for the Opens in 2022, for the purported reason of needing to “establish[] a more regular consistency of ‘world championship level' events.” At those same events, the overall prize purses are being lowered from $1 million to $600,000. The winning prize of $100K remains, and every finisher will be paid.   Most notably, though, the PTO's $2 million end-of-year bonus pool remains, but the bonuses previously paid to athletes ranked 51-100 are being eliminated and redistributed to increase the payments to those ranked 13-40. In the press release itself, the PTO acknowledged that “some members will be unhappy,” but was quick to point out that the changes were unanimously approved by the Athlete Board and necessary to protect the future of the Organization and its long-term vision.   What's New in the 303: Bicycle Colorado Declares 2023 as Year of the eBike Bicycle Colorado is declaring 2023 the Year of the eBike. Bicycle Colorado is thrilled to continue growing the work we helped seed to expand access to eBikes to lower-income Coloradans. In 2020, they managed the Colorado Energy Office's Can Do Colorado eBike pilot project, and in 2022, they supported the passage of SB-193, the Air Quality Improvement Investments bill that will support a variety of expanded eBike access programs, including a Community Access to Electric Bicycles Grant Program. This grant program will provide funding for the development and implementation of projects to provide access to eBikes for income-qualified individuals in communities around the state. Bicycle Colorado provided technical assistance to the applicants for this most recent grant, and served on the grant award selection committee.   The Colorado Energy Office just announced the winners of 2023's funding for this program. There is approximately $1 million for 2023 and $1 million for 2024 available, so this program will fund projects next year, too. Seven applicants received a combined total of $908,700 in funding this year: 4CORE (Cortez), CLEER (Garfield County), Community Cycles (Boulder), Fort Collins, Fort Morgan, PikeRide (Colorado Springs) and Routt County Riders. Congratulations to the winners of this year's grant funding!   Ragnar Trail Colorado, formerly Ragnar Trail Snowmass-CO, is back at Snowmass Village June 9-10, 2023. This is a full-blown 3-day weekend adventure bringing together Rocky Mountain beauty, high-country camping and stunning trails that sells out year after year.   Start early with camping on Thursday night; you can even upgrade your camping experience with Ragnar Glamping. If air conditioning is more your style, enjoy world-class lodging right at Snowmass Village.   On Friday, your team of 8 friends will begin your journey of three challenging trail loops that start and finish back at Ragnar Village. When the sun sets and the moon comes out, the party keeps going as runners head to the trails in the dark for a spirit-quest, soul-searching, star-fueled night of running.   Experience true mountain running with snow-capped peak views, blooming wildflowers, ridge running, buffed-out trails, and even a little climbing (with a BIG pay-off). With its incredible views, the altitude definitely won't be the only thing taking your breath away. Your whole team will finish together on Saturday, triumphantly, under the Ragnar arch with unforgettable memories and a bond to last a lifetime.     Video of the Week: Descent Disciples ||Vol 13|| Tom Pidcock vs. The Fish https://www.instagram.com/tompidcock/ Thomas Pidcock MBE is a British cyclist who currently competes in the cyclo-cross, mountain bike and road bicycle racing disciplines of the sport for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers. Wikipedia Born: 1999 (age 23 years), Leeds, United Kingdom Weight: 128 lbs Height: 5′ 7″ Nationality: British Medal: Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's cross-country Date joined: 2021 (Ineos Grenadiers) Current team: Ineos Grenadiers     Closing: Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it! Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!

During KRDO's Midday Edition, Andrew Rogers talked with Haley Robinson, Director of Public Affairs with the City of Pueblo, about the city receiving an award from the Colorado Energy Office for five Level 2 dual port electric vehicle charging stations and one dual protocol direct current fast charging station.

During KRDO's Midday Edition, Andrew Rogers talked with Haley Robinson, Director of Public Affairs with the City of Pueblo, about the city receiving an award from the Colorado Energy Office for five Level 2 dual port electric vehicle charging stations and one dual protocol direct current fast charging station.

Dominique Gómez is deputy director of the Colorado Energy Office. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Dominique talks with host Mark Hinaman about the many ways that the office works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower consumer energy costs for all Coloradans. Show notes: 00:31 Dominique's background in sustainability and her path to the energy industry 12:00 The scope, scale, and mission of the Colorado Energy Office 17:48 The importance of weatherization to the state 25:35 Reducing emissions from transportation; efforts to expand electric vehicle charging across the state 33:07 Programs that offer financing options for upgrading building infrastructure 38:06 How the office deals with legislative policymakers & regulators 50:38 Will large-scale renewables implementation lead to increased electricity prices? 54:52 Dominique's advice for young professionals in energy Dominique's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiquegomez/

Piper Foster Wilder is the Founder and CEO of 60Hertz Microgrids. The company develops software to maintain microgrids — from village infrastructure, to remote industrial sites, to resiliency microgrids on critical infrastructure. Foster Wilder came to Alaska to serve as Deputy Director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project in Anchorage. There she became acquainted with the opportunity and challenges of project development, financing, and maintenance of remote power grids. In 2016, Foster Wilder led a contract with the Colorado Energy Office to develop a solar-thermal-as-a-service program in partnership with six Rural Electric Cooperatives in Colorado's Western Slope.  Foster Wilder came to clean tech through her work as Vice President of Amatis Controls, an Internet of Things company. There, she developed their thermal metering product line, opening markets in Austria, Germany and North America. During this time she was named in Aspen Magazine's Ten Women of Aspen. Prior to this she helped launch Colorado's Energy Smart initiative.  Foster Wilder is a Humboldt Fellow and worked at Ecologic Institute in Berlin for two years studying land use planning to accommodate large renewable installations. She served as Executive Director of the McBride Family's Sopris Foundation from 2005-2010, and was responsible for all aspects of the Foundation's annual conference on Best Practices in Sustainability for Western Communities, which drew 200+ elected officials, land-use planners, and decision makers from the intermountain West each year. She lives in Anchorage with her husband, commercial photographer, Nathaniel Wilder, and their daughter Bingitt. About 60Hertz: https://www.60hertzenergy.com/ (60Hertz) is a Computerized Maintenance Management System software (CMMS) which compliments monitoring/control hardware by enabling field technicians or mechanics to create work orders/tickets at site – even with limited cellular or wifi connectivity – using an app. The software enables photo documentation of the site, preventative maintenance, messaging and reports. The solution is flexible for any generation asset, works for SmartMeters, and even appliances like fridges or radios. Data from monitoring hardware + field activities can be aggregated and visible at our Maintenance Manager for Supervisors and Admins. WhatsApp and Excel will not enable scale; 60Hertz builds a culture of maintenance to ensure that assets achieve their full lifespan and personnel their full potential. 60Hertz is active across the Arctic, in Latin America, the Caribbean and SubSaharan Africa. Customers include utility companies, Original Equipment Manufacturers, and microgrid developers. -- CONNECT WITH THE WILD FEATHER -- Website: https://www.thewildfeatherpodcast.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildfeatherpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewildfeather_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildfeatherpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thewildfeatherpodcast

A grant from the Colorado Energy Office and local organizations are providing local restaurant workers with eBikes in exchange for participating in a pilot program that is designed to help, in part, with reducing emissions during daily commutes. By Hannah Robertson. Sponsored by Tile and Light Art of Durango and San Juan Basin Public Health

Since Democrats won control of Colorado government in 2019, they have been cranking out climate and clean energy policies faster than I can track. To walk me through all of it, I turned to Will Toor, head of the Colorado Energy Office. Get full access to Volts at www.volts.wtf/subscribe

Good morning I'm subbing in today! Welcome to Montrose Fresh, from The Montrose Daily Press. It's Wednesday May 5th and we're here with local news, events, announcements, and more that matter to us here in Western Colorado.    Today -- This past Monday, District 2 City Council member Dave Bowman resigned. So what prompted the decision?   Today's episode is brought to you by Elevate Internet. Whether it's for your home or your business they offer the best speeds at the best price. Right now, if you refer a friend you can get $25 off! Give them a call for more information at 844-386-8744 or visit them at elevateinternet.com   Now, our feature story.    According to City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo District 2 City Council member Dave Bowman has resigned.   Bowman said that it's the Montrose Summer Music Series that's taking up a lot of his time and energy. He noted that it was a difficult decision. And said his heart and soul lays with this community.   In his resignation letter Bowman thanked the community for the opportunity to serve on the city council. And he'll continue to serve through the Montrose Summer Music Series.   But Bowman is also the subject of an open complaint to the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission.    Why? A disagreement with Janece Culver, who ran the former restaurant at the Black Canyon Golf Course. Culver complained that Bowman charged her on a per-beer basis for concessions sold at the Montrose Summer Music Series one year.   The disagreement became public in 2019 when Culver spoke with the press.    Ultimately the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division ruled the arrangement was a violation of the division's laws, rules and regulations. Since then neither Culver nor Bowman have been fined.   Bowman has responded to the complaint. But as of Tuesday, no ruling had been made as to whether there were ethics violations. If you want to read more, the full complaint and Bowman's response can be found on the Colorado Ethics Commission's website.    Montrose City Council addressed it too. They made a statement saying the complaint was a private matter. They didn't end up taking any action. And that statement came after the Montrose Police Department decided not to investigate the case as a criminal matter.   Also since the incident, the city has since taken over the restaurant at the golf course. It's now the Rusty Putter.    So what's next? Well, The City of Montrose said it is taking applications for the vacant seat. The deadline to apply is May 20th.   Visit our full story for more details - at www.montrosepress.com   -   Finally,  the city continues efforts to participate in Colorado's “going green” initiative. To start - charging stations were put in place throughout Montrose during 2020.   The EV chargers are in several places. The newest ones are at the corner of North 1st Street near downtown Montrose. There you can find eight Tesla-owned Superchargers and two ChargePoint Dual Platform fast chargers. The installations were made possible by a city partnership with DMEA, ChargePoint, Tesla and the Colorado Energy Office.   DMEA owns and operates the ChargePoint stations. They're responsible for upkeep and maintenance.   And like any traditional driver, EV owners can pay to “fuel” their vehicles by using an app on their phone. The driver pays for the energy used, as well as a ‘per minute' fee.   The cost to charge at the ChargePoint stations is 20 cents per kilowatt hour and 25 cents per minute.   Tesla, on the other hand, sets its own charging prices depending on the type of vehicle. The cost is typically 25 cents per kilowatt hour.   And there are other charging stations - one at Montrose Memorial Hospital and the Montrose Community Recreation Center.   The largest motivation in setting up these charging stations in Montrose is to encourage the use of electric vehicles.   The statewide initiative to do this was kicked off by the Volkswagen emissions scandal of 2017.  It all led to the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan.   The state put approximately $10.3 million of the settlement toward buying, installing, operating and maintaining EV charging stations in public areas, workplaces and multi-unit dwellings across six corridors of Colorado, including Montrose.   -   That's all for today, thank you for listening! For more information on any of these stories visit us at montrosepress.com.   And don't forget to check out our sponsor, Elevate Internet. Visit them at elevateinternet.com to learn more.   For more than 137 years, The Montrose Daily Press has been dedicated to shining a light on all the issues that matter to our community. Go to montrosepress.com to subscribe for just $1.99 per week for our digital edition. You'll get unlimited access to every story, feature, and special section. Thank you and remember to tune in again next time on montrosepress.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Toor, Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office, provides a summary of State/CEO projects, activities, and initiatives, and shares the Colorado Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution Reduction Roadmap.  This event was co-hosted by Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future, Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society, Green Cities Coalition, and the Energy Resource Center. LINKS Speaker’s PowerPoint Slides http://studio809radio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Toor.GHG-Roadmap.pdf Resource Guide https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/786dca153b1f4275946530d56ccdced4 Energy Code Adoption Toolkit https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/climate-energy/energy-policy/building-energy-codes/energy-code-adoption-toolkit Contact local government coordinator Christine Berg with Questions christine.berg@state.co.us Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society https://www.cres-energy.org/southeastern-colorado-secres.html Green Cities Coalition https://www.facebook.com/groups/gccppr Energy Resource Center https://www.erc-co.org/ This episode was recorded at the Sustainability in Progress (SIP) virtual event on February 17, 2021. Sustainability in Progress is a monthly program of the Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future. Join us (free) the third Wednesday of every month.  March's SIP will be held on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 8 am. The SIP speaker will be, Bryce Carter, Colorado Program Director for Solar United Neighbors. Solar United Neighbors (SUN) is a nonprofit helping people go solar, join together, and fight for their energy rights. SUN is launching across Colorado including a Colorado Springs Co-op at the end of the month. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpdO-hpjgpH9QPoNV4GdhpfA_87bCNvB_o While Solar United Neighbors in Colorado Springs doesn't launch until later this month, YOU get an early peek. The mission of Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future is to promote regional sustainability and advance the Pikes Peak region's sustainability plan (PPR2030) through regional collaboration and outreach. Connect with us at peakalliance.org The following environment/sustainability organizations in the Pikes Peak region collaborate to produce the Peak Environment podcast about environmental stewardship, sustainable living and enlightened public policy in the Pikes Peak Region. Colorado Springs Office of Innovation & Sustainability Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future Pikes Peak Environmental Forum Pikes Peak Group of Sierra Club Pikes Peak Permaculture Keep up with all the organizations and events making our area a better place to live. Subscribe (free) on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode:  

Kathleen Staks has had a career in conservation law, natural resources, and energy to name a few. I was very excited to have her on the Colorado Energy Leader's Podcast. Kathleen has worked in the executive branche of the Colorado government going between private industry and the legislature, and has spent significant time working with fossil companies to advance clean energy and realistic extraction regulation in the state. On this episode, Kathleen sat though my questioning on mineral rights and helped me to understand some ideas of how we can move past them.

Will Toor is the head of the Colorado Energy office and has been leading the relationship between the Colorado Legislature and Governor Polis. Will joins me today to discuss what the state energy office is doing to promote clean energy, and what are some of the next steps in a state whose largest utility has already committed to carbon free electricity by 2050.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently announced a roadmap for the state to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040. At the same time, he signed a suite of legislation to decarbonize the electricity sector, expand energy efficiency programs, and more. Much of the responsibility for delivering these goals will fall on the shoulders of Will Toor, the executive director of the Colorado Energy Office. Toor joined us to talk about these clean energy efforts and others, including work to get more electric vehicles on the road and to reduce emissions from various sectors.

This episode is a graduate-level course on tracking renewable energy from generation to the end user, and the complexities of how policies, processes and markets all interact. My guest is Ben Gerber, the Executive Director of M-RETS, the Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System based in Minneapolis. And this episode is a first for this podcast as I invite a guest co-host to join me—Tanuj Deora, Vice President of Market Development at Simple Energy. Tanuj is well known in clean energy circles – among his many previous roles he’s served as the Director of the Colorado Energy Office and more recently as EVP at SEPA, the Smart Electric Power Alliance, a role in which he’s been a guest on this podcast before. Ben, Tanuj and I start our conversation with the basics – what is MRETS and what does it do, and how do Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs, work? We look at how the REC market landscape has been changing for both buyers and sellers, and we get into the debate that’s been happening within the REC community about the value of RECs and if they’ve outlived their usefulness. Tanuj and Ben square off about questions of additionality and look at the extent to which REC policies provide a necessary market incentive to build new renewable generation or whether they can serve as a disincentive in some scenarios. From there we look at the applicability of tracking systems to other sectors such as energy efficiency and energy storage. Then we look more broadly at the implications of RECs for decarbonization, and specifically at how advances in the technology and different market and policy approaches can support meaningful climate action. And we close our conversation with a look at renewable natural gas. We recorded this episode in back in February when Ben was in DC to speak at NARUC’s annual Winter Policy Conference. Though the conversation is a couple months old now, it has aged well aside from Tanuj’s gloating about the Patriots winning the Super Bowl. Show references include: Orange Button Budweiser super bowl ad EPA Webinar: Renewable Natural Gas from Landfill Gas and Sustainability at L’Oréal Recorded February 10, 2019. Published April 29, 2019. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Sponsor message: Is the climate crisis stressing you out?  You have a choice in what you do about it. Option 1: Scream into a pillow, or option 2: Drive sustainable corporate behavior through your investments. If you’re like most of us, you probably don’t know what your investment funds are supporting, and there’s a good chance they invest in fossil fuels. Change Finance is a woman-owned and operated Public Benefit Corporation that builds investment funds to change the world. The investments are fossil fuel free, and align with your values without sacrificing returns. Go to change-finance.net/mpty to learn more and start investing today.  Change Finance is a registered investment advisor. This is not an offer to buy or sell any product.

The latest Masterpiece Cakeshop discrimination battle ended, but the big questions around religion and LGBTQ rights remain. These three cases may resolve them. Then, how the new head of the Colorado Energy Office balances oil and gas production with the push for renewables. Also, CPR has acquired Denverite. Finally, someday you could eat meat grown in a lab.

In this episode, we discuss the end of the Colorado legislative session, which big issues were tackled, and where there still remains work to be done. We’ll refer back to our January 10thpodcast on which issues were top priorities – that podcast can be found here. Show Segments Fixing Colorado’s Crowded Crumbling Roads – Governor Hickenlooper, in discussing last week the potential for a special sessions, had this to say about transportation: “If we don’t invest in transportation, if we don’t invest and make sure we’re out ahead of this, growth in Colorado will stop.” Clearly the governor does not view the transportation provisions of Senate Bill 267 to be sufficient. So can lawmakers claim any success on transportation? Construction Defects Overhaul – After Republican Rep. Cole Wist and Democratic Rep. Alec Garnett agreed to take the lead and partner on the issue, the legislature was able to pass House Bill 1279, which eases builders’ legal burden for construction defects. Energy vs. the Environment – In a move that would not have been anticipated at the beginning of the session, the legislature failed to pass a reauthorization bill for the Colorado Energy Office on the final day. Both the House and Senate also unsuccessfully attempted to pass new regulations regarding oil pipeline safety in the wake of the home explosion in Firestone last month. Funding Public Education – The school finance bill passed by lawmakers actually increases next year’s per pupil funding by an average of $242. House Bill 1375 was also passed, which requires school districts to develop a plan to equitably share voter-approved tax increases with charter schools Hospital Provider Fee – Lawmakers were able to achieve a major agreement within Senate Bill 267 to reclassify the hospital provider fee program that helps reimburse hospitals for uncompensated care. It is a notable accomplishment, aided by Republican lawmakers from rural areas like Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg who felt compelled to make a deal to avoid hospital cuts that would have hit rural areas the hardest. The agreement on the hospital provider fee gives an example of a feature of this year’s legislative session that has been touted by both major newspapers in the state in the aftermath of the legislative session: a willing to work across party lines and compromise.