Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies Update

In this Edition:

• U.S. Senate Adopts Renewable Portfolio Standard
• Statehouse Briefing Shows Implementation And Research Of New Energy Technologies
• Upcoming April Briefing Features Wind And Distributed Generation
• Energy Legislation To Be Heard In Colorado Senate Committees
• President Signs Two-Year Extension Of Wind Production Tax Credit
• Udall Seeks “Robust” Funding For Efficiency And Renewables
• Colorado Wind & Distributed Energy Conference Approaches
• Official Postmark To Commemorate Wind/Distributed Energy Conference
• “Declaration Of Energy Independence” Announced
• Recent Articles Of Interest From The Press
• Upcoming Events:
• 4-5 April:  Coal-Bed Methane Conference
• 7 April:  Colorado Sustainable Living Roundup
• 14 April:  Race To Stop Global Warming, 14 April
• 11 May:  Home Energy Investigation Contest

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U.S. SENATE ADOPTS RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARD

—First Such Standard to be Adopted in National Legislation

 

The U.S. Senate continues to consider S. 517, its energy policy bill (see Update of 6 March), and in a voice vote late yesterday, adopted an amendment by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) requiring investor-owned utilities to produce at least ten percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass or geothermal by 2020.  Observers note that in order to gain broader support for this landmark “renewable portfolio standard,” Bingaman made several changes to the bill’s original RPS provisions, including the exemption of public power entities and municipal co-ops, as well as a broadening of the definition of “renewable energy.”

 

In earlier Senate action on the RPS, on 14 March Senators rejected an attempt by Senator James Jeffords (I-Vermont) to increase the bill’s RPS to 20 percent from its current level of ten percent.  The amendment by Jeffords was rejected on a 70-29 vote, with both of Colorado’s Senators (Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Ignacio and Wayne Allard, R-Loveland) voting against the amendment.

 

Earlier yesterday, the Senate rejected an amendment offered by Senator Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) that would have replaced the RPS with a provision calling upon states to consider implementation of green-pricing programs.  The Kyl amendment failed by a vote of 58 to 40, with Colorado’s two Senators voting in favor of the amendment.  The Senate also rejected by a 57-39 vote an amendment by Senator Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would have exempted states that already have an RPS of any size.

 

Throughout the debate on the RPS, proponents cited government figures showing that a ten-percent RPS would reduce national electricity and gas bills by $13 billion between 2002 and 2020, while opponents claimed the RPS would be costly and warned against a new federal mandate to states.

 

 

STATEHOUSE BRIEFING SHOWS IMPLEMENTATION AND RESEARCH OF NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES IN COLORADO

—Delta-Montrose Electric Association, Colorado School of Mines and GeoSource Distributors Describe Activities and Programs

 

The coalition’s second briefing of the 2002 legislative session was held on Wednesday, 20 March and attracted a good turnout of legislators and other interested parties.  The three presentations featured Paul Bony, Manager of Marketing and Customer Service at Delta-Montrose Electric Association, Phil Romig, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at the Colorado School of Mines, and Brian Fowler of GeoSource Distributors, Inc. in conjunction with Monte Schmidt of Valley Heating & Air Conditioning.

 

Paul Bony’s presentation focused on Delta-Montrose’s implementation of clean new energy technologies, such as GeoExchange units, as well as the utility’s innovative work on fuel-cell technologies.  Phil Romig’s talk focused on the energy and environmental programs at the School of Mines, as well as on the future societal impacts of population growth and energy demand.  Finally, Brian Fowler described the benefits of GeoExchange units, while Monte Schmidt detailed the Denver Metro area’s first commercial GeoExchange installation at Valley Bank & Trust headquarters in Brighton.

 

 

APRIL BRIEFING FEATURES WIND AND DISTRIBUTED GENERATION

—Coalition Event at Statehouse to be Held in Cooperation With DOE/OEMC Wind and Distributed Generation Conference

 

The coalition’s third and final briefing of the 2002 legislative session will be held on Tuesday, 9 April at 7:30 a.m. in Hearing Room A of the Legislative Services Building (200 East 14th Avenue, across the street from the State Capitol’s south entrance).  This briefing will be conducted in cooperation with the Colorado Wind and Distributed Energy Conference being held on 8 and 9 April at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Colorado Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation, along with other leading energy companies and organizations (see article on this conference).

 

 

ENERGY LEGISLATION TO BE CONSIDERED IN COLORADO SENATE COMMITTEES

 

Renewable Portfolio Standard

As reported in the Update of 6 March, State Senator Terry Phillips (D-Louisville) has introduced legislation in the Colorado Senate implementing a state renewable portfolio standard of two percent in 2004, increasing to ten percent in 2010 and beyond.  Phillips’ bill, SB 180, is due to be heard by the Senate Committee on Business, Labor, and Finance on 27 March at 1:30 p.m.

 

System Benefit Charge

State Senator Peggy Reeves (D-Fort Collins) has introduced legislation providing for a system benefit charge (SBC), a small surcharge on all kilowatt-hours sold at the retail level in Colorado.  The money collected in her legislation, SB 186, would fund energy efficiency programs, weatherization of low-income households, development and deployment of renewable energy technologies, and R&D activities that provide public benefits.  Howard Geller of the Boulder-based Southwest Energy Efficiency Project notes that the bill’s SBC will provide “net economic benefits for consumers and businesses, and lead to the need for about 4 fewer baseload power plants by 2020 according to my estimates.”

 

Geller adds that “electric utilities historically funded these type of activities and recovered the costs through their regulated rates.  But due to increasing competition and restructuring in the power industry, utilities are reluctant to fund these types of activities on their own.  Nationwide utility funding for energy efficiency programs fell by more than 50% between 1994 and 1999.  The SBC would provide steady and reliable funding for energy efficiency and other ‘public benefit’ programs in Colorado.”

 

According to Geller, the hearing on SB 186 before the Senate Business, Labor and Finance Committee has been scheduled for Tuesday, 2 April at 9:30 a.m.

 

Visit http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/stateleg.html for information on bills and other information on the Colorado Legislature.

 

 

PRESIDENT SIGNS TWO-YEAR EXTENSION OF WIND PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT

 

On 9 March, President Bush signed a two-year extension of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) as part of an economic stimulus and unemployment insurance package.  The PTC, which had expired on 31 December 2001, will be extended retroactively from that date through 31 December 2003.  In his remarks, President Bush said, “in order for people to find jobs, businesses need to be hiring.  So this new law will provide tax incentives for companies to expand and create jobs by investing in plant and equipment.”

 

American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) executive director Randall Swisher predicted that with the tax credit back in place “wind energy development in the U.S. should resume the blistering pace it set last year when more wind capacity was installed than in any previous year in U.S. history.”  Swisher added that the reinstatement of the tax credit means that about $3 billion in wind energy investments forecast over the next several years are now back on track:  “More importantly, hundreds of furloughed wind industry employees can now go back to work building and installing new high-tech wind turbines.”

 

 

UDALL SEEKS “ROBUST” FUNDING FOR EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLES

—Joint Letter Urges Appropriators to Fund Key EE/RE R&D Programs

 

Congressman Mark Udall (D-Colorado) spearheaded a joint letter to congressional appropriators urging “robust funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy – biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind – research and development programs.”

 

Signed by a total of 76 Members of Congress, the March 19th letter outlines successes in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, and concludes by urging appropriators to “develop appropriation bills for fiscal year 2003 that provide appropriate increases for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development and deployment.”

 

U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees are in the process of taking testimony and reviewing the fiscal year (FY) 2003 budget for DOE programs and are expected to draft final FY03 funding bills within the next three months.

 

 

COLORADO WIND & DISTRIBUTED ENERGY: RENEWABLES FOR RURAL PROSPERITY

—“It’s Time to Register”

 

The “Colorado Wind & Distributed Energy: Renewables for Rural Prosperity” conference to be held on 8 and 9 April will discuss how farmers, ranchers, rural electric cooperatives and others interested in rural economic development can capture Colorado’s abundant wind energy resources and use distributed energy generation to increase the vitality of Colorado’s rural economy.

 

A major wind developer has estimated prospective Colorado investment to be $800 million to $1 billion.  This financial ‘windfall’ has already begun across America’s Great Plains.  Exhibits both days at the Renaissance Hotel and at the nearby Urban Farm at Stapleton will provide additional opportunities to talk with company representatives and see demonstrations of wind turbines, methane digesters, fuel cells, bio fuels, photovoltaic systems, etc.

 

Register now by visiting http://www.state.co.us/oemc/events/distributed/index.htm or call Bitsy Broughton at 303-894-2383.

 

[Article courtesy of Colorado Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation]

 

 

OFFICIAL POSTMARK TO COMMEMORATE WIND/DISTRIBUTED ENERGY CONFERENCE

—Special Postmarks Available at Conference or by Mail

 

An official commemorative postmark is being issued by the United States Postal Service in honor of “Colorado Wind & Distributed Energy: Renewables for Rural Prosperity.”  Envelopes with the special postmark will be made available to conference attendees for a nominal fee.  For a depiction of the postmark, contact Craig Cox.

 

Those who cannot attend the event, but who wish to obtain the cancellation, may submit a mail order request.  Pictorial cancellations are available only for the dates of 8 and 9 April, and requests for either date must be postmarked by 8 May.  Requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least the minimum First-Class Mail postage of 34 cents.  Items submitted for cancellation may not include postage issued after the date of the requested cancellation.  Such items will be returned unserviced.

 

Customers wishing to obtain a cancellation should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others, insert a card of postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap.  Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to:

 

Pictorial Cancellations

Renewable Prosperity Station

951 20th Street

Denver CO 80202-9998

 

Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for cancellation, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address.  After applying the pictorial cancellation, the Postal Service returns the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover.

 

 

“DECLARATION OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCE” ANNOUNCED

—Website Established for Public Participation

 

Elizabeth Moore, former Public Interest Adviser at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, invites interested parties to log onto http://www.energyindependence4usa.org/ to sign a “Declaration of Energy Independence.”  She notes that “September 11th underscored America’s vulnerability to unstable foreign interests, and the need to free ourselves from a crippling bondage to foreign energy supplies,” and urges site visitors to “read the action plan and sign the declaration.”

 

[From Elizabeth Moore e-mail]

 

 

RECENT ARTICLES OF INTEREST FROM THE PRESSS

 

Denver Post, 10 March 2002

U.S. Senate energy bill could bring economic windfall to Colorado

“Colorado’s growing renewable energy industry is ready to lead the nation into an environmentally clean, reliable and economically beneficial energy future, with the creation of many new well-paying jobs in the process.”  [Craig Cox reply to Senator Campbell’s guest column of 3 March 2002]

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,416~451431,00.html

 

Front Range TechBiz, 11 March 2002

Special Report on Biomass

CPC’s gasifier one of the state’s leading technologies:  “Colorado firms are investing in technologies that encompass concepts ranging from squeezing motor oil from sunflowers to tapping the energy potential of a five-kilowatt cow.”  Features coalition members Community Power Corporation, PureVision Technology, Microgy BioEnergy and Cogeneration Systems and Agro Management Group.  http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=55474

 

Demos bringing specific methods closer to market:  Features “proof-of-concept projects showcasing everything from energy crop cloning to digestion of food or livestock waste into methane” http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=55473

 

Sector offers wide variety of energy-production methods:  Features NREL and coalition member Community Power Corporation http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=55472

 

Front Range TechBiz, 18 March 2002

Special Report on Hydrogen

State firms jockey for position:  “A few Colorado companies are positioning themselves quietly in hopes of one day capturing part of a widely theorized but mostly unrealized hydrogen economy.”  Features coalition members Delta-Montrose Electric Association and FuelCellStore.com.  http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=55612&cat_id=135

 

Can hydrogen make a dent in energy market?:  “Would a hydrogen-based economy help create a cleaner and more peaceful world?  It’s a heady question for scientists, technical ethicists, inventors, owners of fossil fuel reserves and company presidents. And not everybody is convinced it will happen.”  http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=55611&cat_id=135

 

This energy source’s time in the sun is coming:  Article discusses progress in applications of hydrogen for transportation.  http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=55610&cat_id=135

 

Reuters, 19 March 2002

Greenhouse gas trading takes off, US on sidelines

“At least 55 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions have been traded since 1996 by companies and countries trying to limit global warming while the world’s biggest polluter -- the United States -- remains on the sidelines, a U.S. environmental group said on Tuesday.”  Article by Julie Vorman based on “The Emerging International Greenhouse Gas Market,” prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change by principals of coalition member Natsource, LLC and others.

View report at http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/trading.cfm

 

Christian Science Monitor Article, 20 March 2002

For lessons on clean energy, look to (surprise!) Texas

“As the Senate debates the future of energy in the United States, it would do well to look to President Bush’s home state of Texas – not for lessons from the Enron scandal or for proof of Big Oil’s influence over Bush policies, but for the nation’s most surprising clean-energy success story.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0320/p11s02-coop.html

 

 

Other Upcoming Events:

 

4-5 APRIL:  COAL-BED METHANE CONFERENCE

 

Sponsored by the University of Colorado Natural Resources Law Center, the Institute for Environment and Natural Resources and coalition member Pendergast Sarni Group, this conference will examine issues regarding the development of coal-bed methane in Colorado, Utah, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming.  Organizers expect a balanced, open discussion among stakeholders, in a neutral setting, to identify:

• the potential CBM gas resource in the intermountain area;
• the potential overlap with sensitive lands;
• the economics of this resource development;
• the potential environmental and socio-economic issues associated with CBM;
• the best management practices that are being, or could be used by industry leaders to balance development and resource protection;
• and other opportunities for balancing CBM development, ranching and agriculture, residential development, environmental preservation, and other interests.

This conference will be held at the Brown Palace Hotel/Comfort Inn Conference Center in Denver.  It is free and open to the public.  Optional lunch and CLE credit are available for a fee.  For more information, visit http://www.colorado.edu/Law/NRLC/.

 

7 APRIL:  COLORADO SUSTAINABLE LIVING ROUNDUP

—Family Event to Precede Wind and Distributed Energy Workshop

 

You are invited to bring the whole family for this fun and educational event on Sunday, 7 April, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at The Urban Farm (10200 Smith Road, just south of I-70 and Havana) in Denver.  You will be able to:

 

Visit over 50 exhibitors demonstrating their sustainable living technologies; watch full-sized wind turbines, alternative-fueled vehicles, and other renewable-energy technologies in action; learn more on how to save hundreds of dollars through energy efficiency for your house; and treat the kids to a petting zoo and horse-riding demonstrations!

 

Admission is only $3 for ages 20-60, and free for everybody else.  Proceeds benefit The Urban Farm for expansion of energy education activities.  This event is being held in association with the Colorado Wind and Distributed Energy conference described in another article in this newsletter.  More information can be found at www.TheUrbanFarm.org, or www.state.co.us/oemc/events/distributed/roundup.htm, or by contacting Ron Larson at ronallarson@qwest.net.

 

[Article courtesy The Urban Farm]

 

14 APRIL:  RACE TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING

—"Form a Corporate Team and Join Channel 9, Nike and a great group of people"

 

Denver’s 2nd Annual Race to Stop Global Warming takes place at 9:00 a.m. at NIKETOWN Denver on 14 April 2002, on the 16th St. Mall.  The race is a national Earth Day-related 8K Run and 5K Fitness Walk, which includes a FREE Children’s Fun Run, Diaper Dash, and Toddler Trot.  Entry fees are $22 in advance for adults, and $12 for children twelve and under.  Register early and save!  For more information, call the Race Hotline at (303) 430-2969, or log on at www.racetostopglobalwarming.org.

 

Be sure to stick around after the morning events for the Colorado Energy Science Center’s Smart Energy Expo!  Sponsored by companies who are actively developing environmentally aware practices, such as Nike and Aveda, and supported by media partners such as KBCO, the Race to Stop Global Warming brings the fitness, business, and environmental communities together to draw public attention toward creating solutions to global warming in a fun, family-oriented setting.

 

The 2002 Race to Stop Global Warming is organized by the Green House Network, a nationally oriented 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is solely committed to creating the grassroots movement needed to stop global warming.

 

The Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC), a non-profit organization based in Golden, CO, is acting as the Exhibit Manager for this event, and invites organizations to exhibit.  Last year’s Denver race attracted more than 700 runners!  The national series of races this year is being supported by Nike, Aveda, Gaiam, all Goode Organics, and Environmental Defense.  For information on a booth at the Environmental Fair, call the CESC’s Eric Stern at 303-216-2026

 

11 MAY:  HOME ENERGY INVESTIGATION CONTEST

—To be held in Conjunction with Junior Solar Sprint

 

The Colorado Energy Science Center reports that it and the Home Energy Assistance Team (HEAT) are hosting the Home Energy Investigation Contest in which teams of students rate the energy efficiency of homes in their neighborhoods.  The students’ contest entries explaining why energy efficiency varies from home to home will be judged on 11 May at the 25th anniversary celebration of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  Winning teams will nominate homes to receive valuable efficiency improvements.  The contest and awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Colorado Junior Solar Sprint.  The contest is offered to students at 15 schools currently using the CESC energy curriculum entitled “Energy Science in the Home,” which teaches the basic principles of energy and efficiency with fun, hands-on science projects.

 

Sponsors and volunteers are sought for this event, and donations may be tax-deductible.  For more information, contact CESC’s Patrick Keegan at 303-216-2026.

 

 

This newsletter is circulated to members of the Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies and other interested parties.  Please let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the distribution list.

 

Additional member-only updates are provided to coalition members as events warrant.  If your business or non-profit organization is interested in coalition membership, I would be happy to provide information upon request.

 

The Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies is preparing to launch a web site in the near future and looks forward to providing links to other appropriate web sites.

 

Please continue to keep in touch on any matters related to energy issues and let me know if I can provide any help or information to you.

 

Craig Cox

Executive Director

Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies

303-679-9331

coxcraig@att.net

 

The Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies brings together businesses and non-profit groups to encourage environmentally responsible economic growth through the efficient use of Colorado’s abundant and clean sources of energy.