%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Uranium Mining http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/uranium-mining <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Uranium Mining</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-03-31T16:12:35-06:00" title="Friday, March 31, 2017 - 16:12" class="datetime">Fri, 03/31/2017 - 16:12</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/uranium-mining" data-a2a-title="Uranium Mining"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Furanium-mining&amp;title=Uranium%20Mining"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Uranium mining in Colorado dates to the late nineteenth century, when uranium resources were discovered in the southwestern part of the state. The region’s Uravan Mineral Belt is rich in carnotite, the ore that produces uranium and vanadium. Both elements have various industrial and military applications. Originally considered a worthless byproduct of vanadium refinement, uranium became a highly valued material when it was found to be useful in the production of nuclear power and weapons. The development of Colorado’s uranium resources spurred a growth in population, industrialization, and public infrastructure, but it also came with troubling consequences for the environment and public health.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Origins</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Uranium mining in Colorado was an expansion of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century vanadium extraction. During <a href="/article/colorado-world-war-i"><strong>World War I</strong></a>, vanadium was used as a steel-strengthening alloy, among other applications. An early and prominent example of a vanadium mine was Standard Chemical’s mine at Joe Junior Camp, sixty miles south of <a href="/article/grand-junction"><strong>Grand Junction</strong></a>. The company also operated a uranium mill near present-day <strong>Uravan</strong>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>With the rise of nuclear power after <strong>World War II</strong>, uranium became a highly sought after element. Since only New Mexico and Wyoming have more uranium deposits than Colorado, the Centennial State became one of the national sources for uranium mining and processing. US Vanadium, the Vanadium Corporation of America, and the Metal Reserves Company soon opened uranium mining and refinement facilities around the towns of Naturita, <strong>Durango</strong>, Loma, and <strong>Slick Rock</strong>.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Yellowcake Towns</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Uranium extraction in Colorado was a marriage of private mining enterprise and government interest. After World War II, the US Atomic Energy Commission and the US Geological Survey collaborated to study the Uravan Mineral Belt in <a href="/article/montrose-county"><strong>Montrose</strong></a> and <a href="/article/san-miguel-county"><strong>San Miguel</strong></a> Counties. The Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation received federal contracts to form the Union Mines Development Corporation and the Manhattan Engineer District built its own refinement facility near Durango.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1940s, uranium mining led to the establishment of several mill towns in Colorado, dubbed “yellowcake towns” because the uranium powder they produced—uranium oxide—resembled cake mix. Union Carbide Corporation built a town around an old Standard Chemical mill and named it Uravan, a hybrid of “Uranium” and “Vanadium.” Other yellowcake towns in the Uravan Belt included Naturita, Nucla, <strong>Paradox</strong>, and Slick Rock. Mines and mills were also set up in existing towns such as <strong>Cañon City</strong>, <a href="/article/golden-0"><strong>Golden</strong></a>, <strong>Loma</strong>, and <strong>Rifle</strong>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Some yellowcake towns, such as Uravan, boomed but experienced labor shortages when uranium demand increased during World War II. Many of these remote communities could not rely on a labor influx when work was readily available elsewhere. The increase in output demand per worker nearly resulted in general strikes, but workers’ concerns were alleviated through negotiations.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In many yellowcake towns, mining companies provided schools, hospitals, and other civic functions—even Miss Uranium beauty pageants. Particularly burdensome was the need to import water into mining towns, as many of them were in exceptionally dry areas. While many experienced brief periods of prosperity, these towns were nonetheless dependent on federal uranium policy.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Cold War Era</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1948, as US-Soviet tension increased, the federal government promised to purchase privately extracted uranium to ensure a continuous supply. It also encouraged citizens to explore for radioactive ore and built roads into remote places rich in radioactive ore. Federal buy programs set up prices for different tiers of ore quality and provided bonuses for initial production.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>With a guaranteed customer in the federal government, uranium mining boomed throughout southwestern Colorado in the 1950s. Firms typically invested in mining rather than refinement because mines had lower start-up and operation costs than mills. As the United States built up its nuclear arsenal between 1948 and 1978, the 1,200 mines of the Uravan Belt collectively produced 63 million pounds of uranium and 330 million pounds of vanadium.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Uranium Bust</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Uranium production boomed into the 1970s. Despite government buy programs intended to build up reserves of domestic uranium, Colorado uranium production was unable to compete against considerably cheaper uranium resources found in the Congo or the more plentiful deposits of pitchblende, a uranium-rich mineral, in Canada. Uranium prices sank even lower after the onset of nuclear arms reduction treaties and the nuclear power plant disasters at Three Mile Island (1979) and Chernobyl (1986). In the 1970s, new federal environmental regulations forced the company town of Uravan to close.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Production continued into the early twenty-first century, albeit at a significantly lower rate. A small boom briefly revived the industry in the early twenty-first century, but drops in uranium prices in 2008 ended almost all mining of the mineral in Colorado; the state reported no major uranium ore production between 2009 and 2014. However, in 2011 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved designs for radioactive waste disposal facilities submitted by Energy Fuels Resources Inc., and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment approved the company’s application to build a uranium mill in the Paradox Valley in 2013. If completed, the facility would be the first uranium mill built in the United States in more than twenty-five years. But languishing uranium prices persuaded the company to hold off on building the facility, and Energy Fuels sold its permit rights to Pinon Ridge Resources Corporation in 2014. As of 2016, the mill had yet to be built.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Although it provided hundreds of jobs and helped the United States in its nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, uranium mining has left a toxic environmental and human legacy in Colorado. Both Uravan and Cañon City’s Lincoln Park mill site are Superfund sites, high-priority cleanup sites as identified by the EPA. Fifteen other sites are under review by the US Department of Energy. In 2011 the EPA cautioned that even inactive sites, like those near the <strong>Dolores River,</strong> pose an environmental threat, as <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/flooding-colorado"><strong>flooding</strong></a> may release buried contaminants.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The state’s radioactive legacy also reaches into Colorado’s population and communities. Workers in the essentially unregulated industry were exposed to radon gas underground, and the EPA estimates that 67,000 Coloradans live within one mile of a uranium mine, with an additional 1.2 million living within five miles of a mine. In places like Uravan, radioactive tailings were reused in construction sites and home gardens. Children played atop discarded mill equipment, much of it contaminated with radon-emitting materials.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As miners began dying of cancer in the 1950s, federal investigations revealed a connection between the toxic work environment and the epidemic, but the industry did not implement any strict regulations until the mid-1960s. Finally, in 1990 Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which offers financial restitution to sickened miners or their surviving family members. As of 2015, there are ongoing investigations on the exposure of uranium miners to radioactive materials without proper protective equipment.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/conway-bernard" hreflang="und">Conway, Bernard</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/uranium-colorado-0" hreflang="en">uranium in colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/uranium-mining" hreflang="en">uranium mining</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/uranium-mill-colorado" hreflang="en">uranium mill colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/history-uranium-mining-colorado" hreflang="en">history of uranium mining colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/uravan" hreflang="en">uravan</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/grand-junction" hreflang="en">Grand Junction</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/slick-rock" hreflang="en">slick rock</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-miguel-county" hreflang="en">san miguel county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/montrose-county" hreflang="en">montrose county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/yellowcake-towns" hreflang="en">yellowcake towns</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/uranium-poisoning" hreflang="en">uranium poisoning</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/vanadium" hreflang="en">vanadium</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango" hreflang="en">Durango</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/paradox" hreflang="en">paradox</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/paradox-valley" hreflang="en">Paradox Valley</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Michael A. Amundson, <em>Yellowcake Towns: Uranium Mining Communities in the American West</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2002).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Bob Berwyn, “Feds open door to more uranium mining in southwest Colorado,” <em>The Colorado Independent</em>, June 9, 2014.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Kate Brown, <em>Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters</em> (2013; repr., New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, “<a href="https://mining.state.co.us:443/SiteCollectionDocuments/UraniumMining.pdf">Uranium Mining in Colorado</a>,” updated November 26, 2014.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Peter Hessler, “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/13/the-uranium-widows">The uranium widows</a>,” <em>The New Yorker</em>, September 13, 2010.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Nancy Lofholm, “<a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2010/09/04/toxic-legacy-of-uranium-haunts-proposed-colorado-mill/">Toxic legacy of uranium haunts proposed Colorado mill</a>,” <em>The Denver Post</em>, September 4, 2010.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Eric W. Mogren, <em>Warm Sands: Uranium Mill Tailings Policy in the Atomic West</em> (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2002).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Ray C. Ringholz, <em>Uranium Frenzy: Saga of the Nuclear West</em> (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2002).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Dan Frosch, “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/us/a-fight-in-colorado-over-uranium-mines.html?_r=0">A fight in Colorado over uranium mines</a>,” <em>The New York Times</em>, April 16, 2013.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Nathan Rice, “<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/health-legacy-of-uranium-mining-lingers-30-years-later/">Health legacy of uranium mining lingers 30 years later</a>,” <em>Scientific American</em>, June 28, 2010.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://uravan.com/">Uravan</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>World Information Service on Energy Uranium Project, “<a href="http://www.wise-uranium.org/umopusco.html">Issues at Operating Uranium Mines and Mills—Colorado, USA</a>,” updated February 25, 2016.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>World Nuclear Association, “<a href="https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/environmental-aspects-of-uranium-mining.aspx">Environmental Aspects of Uranium Mining</a>,” updated June 2014.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 31 Mar 2017 22:12:35 +0000 yongli 2440 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Colorado’s New Energy Economy http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorados-new-energy-economy <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Colorado’s New Energy Economy</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-02-06T16:14:22-07:00" title="Monday, February 6, 2017 - 16:14" class="datetime">Mon, 02/06/2017 - 16:14</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorados-new-energy-economy" data-a2a-title="Colorado’s New Energy Economy"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fcolorados-new-energy-economy&amp;title=Colorado%E2%80%99s%20New%20Energy%20Economy"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>The term <em>New Energy Economy</em> refers to the transition of a state’s energy economy from one based purely on fossil fuels to one that includes a higher percentage of renewable energy sources. State-level energy policies have been the primary force moving the United States toward a greener economy, and Governor <strong>Bill Ritter Jr.</strong> led this effort in Colorado between 2007 and 2011.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The transition involved dozens of pieces of legislation, organizational and administrative changes, and various voluntary initiatives developed and funded by the state. By the end of 2014, Colorado’s electricity generation from renewables had increased to 18 percent (from virtually nothing), and the state is on track to meet its own Renewable Energy Standard (RES) goal of 30 percent by 2020. The adoption of a 30 percent RES is often held up as one of the crowning achievements of the New Energy Economy, and the process by which it was implemented in Colorado provides a window into its political dynamics.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Amendment 37</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Colorado’s New Energy Economy began taking shape before Ritter took office. After three failed legislative attempts to adopt an RES in the early 2000s, the passage of Amendment 37 in 2004 established a 10 percent RES and was the country’s first voter-approved RES. Amendment 37 required <strong>Xcel Energy</strong> and other investor-owned utilities, as well as rural electric associations (REAs) and municipal utilities with 40,000 or more customers (such as those in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/fort-collins"><strong>Fort Collins</strong></a> and <strong>Colorado Springs</strong>) to produce 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015 without raising rates by more than 2 percent. The amendment also included a solar “carve out,” which required utilities to meet a portion of the 10 percent mandate with solar sources. While the RES was open to a variety of renewables, it was evident that wind was likely to be dominant and solar would play an important role.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Amendment 37 campaign faced opposition from the state’s electricity providers. Xcel Energy spent at least $1 million in its effort to defeat the initiative. Municipal utilities desired local control and choice of energy use, while REAs argued that the amendment would disadvantage smaller utilities. Other opponents included the coal industry—through the <strong>Colorado Mining Association</strong>—the <strong>Colorado Association of Commerce &amp; Industry</strong>, and the steel industry.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Proponents crafted a powerful bipartisan coalition by framing Amendment 37 in terms of environmental protection, rural economic development, and job creation. While Democrats highlighted the environmental benefits of the RES, key Republican allies emphasized the economic benefits of wind projects through rents paid to landowners and tax benefits for agricultural communities in depressed areas in eastern Colorado. The pro-amendment alliance also included the renewables industry and voters in the six Front Range counties most likely to benefit from new jobs and innovation initiatives in renewables. By linking clean energy to rural development, the measure secured enough support to pass with a 53.6 percent majority.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>New Energy Economy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Shortly after the passage of Amendment 37, Ritter articulated his vision for the New Energy Economy through his campaign for governor. His campaign team used the term to make clear that the goal was not simply to promote the use of clean energy but to build a new economy based on it. By continuing to highlight the links between clean energy, job creation, and environmental concerns, Ritter sought to maintain and expand the bipartisan alliance instrumental in passing Amendment 37.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>One of Ritter’s first legislative proposals after taking office in January 2007 was to raise the RES to 20 percent by 2020. The initiative passed with surprisingly little opposition, largely because Xcel had realized that it would meet the 10 percent RES eight years early and had reportedly begun to view renewable energy generation as a way to hedge against price fluctuations for coal and natural gas. The opt-out provision for small municipal utilities remained, but REAs were now required to meet a 10 percent standard.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Ritter administration’s effort to reorganize the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the state agency that oversees oil and gas development, was much more contentious. Historically, the majority of the COGCC’s seven members represented the oil and gas industry, which was consistent with the agency’s mission to promote the development of the state’s natural resources to generate revenue. In 2007 the legislature added two additional members and stipulated that wildlife, public health, and environmental interests must also be represented. These changes allowed the Ritter administration to write new rules in 2008 to address drilling-related environmental and wildlife concerns. Afraid that the new regulations would kill jobs, the oil and gas industry launched a determined campaign that succeeded in weakening some of the proposed rules.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Natural Gas Ascendant</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>While the 2008 rulemaking process resulted in friction between the Ritter administration and the oil and gas sector, their relationship shifted considerably in 2009, taking many environmentalists and renewable energy advocates by surprise and altering the trajectory of the New Energy Economy. In a July 2009 speech to the Colorado Oil &amp; Gas Association (the industry’s trade group), Ritter declared that natural gas was “mission critical” to the New Energy Economy. Representatives of the oil and gas industry saw this shift as reflective of Ritter’s awareness of the industry’s central role in the state’s economy in the wake of the global financial crisis. Members of the Ritter administration, however, suggested this was a tactical move linked to its long-term goal of reducing dependence on coal as the state’s major electricity source; the administration argued it was never strategically opposed to natural gas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>This new partnership between the Ritter administration and the oil and gas industry was key to the administration’s success in raising the RES to 30 percent in 2010, a process that was nonetheless much more confrontational and required even more careful coalition building. The 30 percent RES was part of a broader compromise linked to the Colorado Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act (CACJ), which was passed that same year and required major utilities to replace, retrofit, or retire 900 megawatts of coal-fired power generation with natural gas or lower or non-emitting fuel by 2018.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Negotiations for the 30 percent RES and the CACJ took place quickly and out of the public eye, keeping many potential opponents, such as the coal industry and REAs, in the dark. The oil and gas industry focused its resources on gaining support for the CACJ, which they saw as a way to establish new markets for natural gas at a time when prices were very low, and largely stayed silent on the RES increase. Meanwhile, Xcel supported the increase to insulate itself from nonrenewable price fluctuations and because it could shift some of its electricity generation from coal to natural gas. The renewables industry was concerned about the move to gas in the CACJ but was brought along as a result of the 30 percent RES and a host of other provisions that were particularly beneficial to the wind industry. In order to satisfy small renewables producers, the new RES requires Xcel to get 3 percent of its energy supply from distributed generation, including rooftop solar, small hydro, and wind. Environmentalists were eager to increase the RES both because of its long-term commitment to renewables and concerns about the shifting relations between the Ritter administration and natural gas producers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the increasing prominence of natural gas, Colorado’s 30 percent RES is among the highest in the country. It is important to note, however, that RESs only cover electricity and are more often than not accompanied by binding emission standards.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Ritter’s term ended, the conflict over the New Energy Economy continued with a 2015 federal appellate court decision upholding the constitutionality of the RES. Despite continued opposition, the RES is not likely to be repealed—all the more so since renewable energy is coupled with a broader move toward green manufacturing and technology in the state.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As of June 2016, there does not seem to be a strong political alliance that would increase the RES. While Governor <strong>John Hickenlooper</strong> is supportive of the federal Clean Power Plan, that plan is more likely to promote the use of natural gas rather than increase the RES, at least during the current governor’s term.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/stevis-dimitris" hreflang="und">Stevis, Dimitris</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/betsill-michele" hreflang="und">Betsill, Michele</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/new-energy-economy" hreflang="en">new energy economy</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/energy-development" hreflang="en">energy development</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/green-energy" hreflang="en">green energy</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/wind-energy" hreflang="en">wind energy</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/solar-energy" hreflang="en">solar energy</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/bill-ritter" hreflang="en">bill ritter</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/fossil-fuels" hreflang="en">fossil fuels</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/coal" hreflang="en">coal</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/oil" hreflang="en">Oil</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/fracking" hreflang="en">fracking</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/renewable-energy-colorado" hreflang="en">renewable energy colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/renewable-energy-standard" hreflang="en">renewable energy standard</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Michele Betsill and Dimitris Stevis, “The Politics and Dynamics of Energy Transitions: Lessons from Colorado’s (USA) ‘New Energy Economy,’” <em>Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy</em> 34, no. 2 (Spring 2016).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Stratis Giannakouros and Dimitris Stevis, “Colorado’s New Energy Economy: Ecological Modernization, American-Style?,” in <em>Climate Innovation: Liberal Capitalism and Climate Change</em>, eds. Neil. E. Harrison and John Mikler (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Todd Hartman, “<a href="https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/35617119/a-new-energy-economy-center-for-the-new-energy-economy-/3">A Blueprint for a New Energy Economy</a>” (Denver: Center for the New Energy Economy, 2011).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Bill Ritter Jr., “<a href="https://coyotegulch.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ritter_policy_book.pdf">The Colorado Promise</a>,” 2006.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, “<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/energy/state-renewable-portfolio-standards-and-goals">Renewable Energy Standard</a>,” 2016.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Charles Davis, “The Politics of ‘Fracking’: Regulating Natural Gas Drilling Practices in Colorado and Texas,” <em>Review of Policy Research</em> 29, no. 2 (March 2012).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, “<a href="https://www.metrodenver.org/media/230125/energy_2014_co_012915.pdf">Energy: Colorado Industry Cluster Profile</a>,” January 29, 2015.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Energy Information and Administration, “<a href="https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=CO">Colorado: State Profile and Energy Estimates</a>,” 2016.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>The term New Energy Economy refers to a state’s energy economy changing from fossil fuels to one that includes renewable energy. Governor <strong>Bill Ritter Jr.</strong> led this effort in Colorado between 2007 and 2011.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Amendment 37</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Colorado’s New Energy Economy began taking shape before Ritter took office. Amendment 37 passed in 2004. It created a 10 percent Renewable Energy Standard (RES). It also required <strong>Xcel Energy</strong> and other utilities to produce 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. They could not raise rates by more than 2 percent. The amendment included a solar “carve out.” This required power companies to get part of the 10 percent from solar sources.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Amendment 37 faced opposition from the state’s electricity providers. Xcel Energy spent at least $1 million in its effort to defeat the initiative. Other opponents included the coal industry and the steel industry.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Proponents saw Amendment 37 in terms of rural economic development and job creation. Democrats highlighted the environmental benefits. Republican allies saw the economic benefits of wind projects. Rents paid to landowners would help depressed areas in eastern Colorado. Voters in the six Front Range counties most likely to benefit from new jobs in renewables also joined.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The measure passed with a 53.6 percent majority.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>New Energy Economy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Ritter shared his ideas for the New Energy Economy as he ran for governor. The goal was to build a new economy based on clean energy.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>One of Ritter’s first proposals after taking office in January 2007 was to raise the RES to 20 percent by 2020. The initiative passed. Xcel realized it would meet the 10 percent RES eight years early. The company had begun to view renewable energy as a way to guard against price changes in coal and natural gas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is the state agency that oversees oil and gas development. Ritter wanted to reorganize it. Most of the COGCC’s seven members represented the oil and gas industry. In 2007 the legislature added two members. Lawmakers said that wildlife and public health interests must also be represented. These changes allowed Ritter to write new rules in 2008. The rules addressed drilling-related concerns. They oil and gas industry was afraid that the new rules would cost jobs. The industry launched a campaign that weakened some proposed rules.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Natural Gas Ascendant</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Ritter relationship with the oil and gas sector changed in 2009. The shift took many by surprise. In a July 2009, Ritter declared that natural gas was “mission critical” to the New Energy Economy.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The new partnership between Ritter and the oil and gas industry was key to raising the RES to 30 percent in 2010. The process required coalition building. The 30 percent RES was linked to the Clean Jobs Act (CACJ). The law required major utilities to replace some coal-fired power with natural gas or lower or non-emitting fuel by 2018.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Negotiations for the 30 percent RES and the CACJ took place out of the public eye. This kept opponents, like the coal industry, in the dark. The oil and gas industry focused on gaining support for the CACJ. They saw the law as a way to create new markets for natural gas at a time when prices were low. Xcel supported the RES increase to protect itself from price changes. The renewables industry was worried about the move to gas. They agreed because of the 30 percent RES and provisions that were good for the wind industry. The new RES required Xcel to get 3 percent of its energy supply from rooftop solar, small hydro, and wind.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite using more natural gas, Colorado’s 30 percent RES is among the highest in the country.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>The term New Energy Economy refers to a state’s energy economy changing from fossil fuels to one that includes renewable energy. Governor <strong>Bill Ritter Jr.</strong> led this effort in Colorado between 2007 and 2011.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the end of 2014, Colorado’s power generation from renewables had increased to 18 percent from virtually nothing. The state is on track to meet its own Renewable Energy Standard (RES) goal of 30 percent by 2020.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Amendment 37</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Colorado’s New Energy Economy began taking shape before Ritter took office. The passage of Amendment 37 in 2004 created a 10 percent RES. It was the country’s first voter-approved RES. Amendment 37 required <strong>Xcel Energy</strong> and other utilities to produce 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. They could not raise rates by more than 2 percent. The amendment included a solar “carve out.” This required utilities to meet part of the 10 percent mandate with solar sources.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Amendment 37 faced opposition from the state’s electricity providers. Xcel Energy spent at least $1 million in its effort to defeat the initiative. Other opponents included the coal industry and the steel industry.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Proponents framed Amendment 37 in terms of rural economic development and job creation. Democrats highlighted the environmental benefits. Republican allies emphasized the economic benefits of wind projects. Rents paid to landowners would help depressed areas in eastern Colorado. Voters in the six Front Range counties most likely to benefit from new jobs in renewables also joined.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The measure passed with a 53.6 percent majority.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>New Energy Economy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Ritter shared his vision for the New Energy Economy as he ran for governor. The goal was to build a new economy based on clean energy. By highlighting links between clean energy and job creation, Ritter tried to grow the group that passed Amendment 37.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>One of Ritter’s first proposals after taking office in January 2007 was to raise the RES to 20 percent by 2020. The initiative passed. Xcel realized it would meet the 10 percent RES eight years early. The company had begun to view renewable energy as a way to guard against price changes in coal and natural gas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is the state agency that oversees oil and gas development. Ritter wanted to reorganize it. Most of the COGCC’s seven members represented the oil and gas industry. In 2007 the legislature added two members. Lawmakers said that wildlife and public health interests must also be represented. These changes allowed Ritter to write new rules in 2008. The rules addressed drilling-related concerns. They oil and gas industry was afraid that the new rules would cost jobs. The industry launched a campaign that weakened some proposed rules.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Natural Gas Ascendant</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Ritter relationship with the oil and gas sector changed in 2009. The shift took many by surprise. In a July 2009, Ritter declared that natural gas was “mission critical” to the New Energy Economy. The oil and gas industry saw Ritter’s awareness of the industry’s central role in the state’s economy. The governor's office suggested the move was linked to a long-term goal of reducing dependence on coal as the state’s major electricity source.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The new partnership between Ritter and the oil and gas industry was key to raising the RES to 30 percent in 2010. The process required coalition building. The 30 percent RES was linked to the Clean Jobs Act (CACJ). The legislation required major utilities to replace or retire 900 megawatts of coal-fired power with natural gas or lower or non-emitting fuel by 2018.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Negotiations for the 30 percent RES and the CACJ took place out of the public eye. This kept opponents, like the coal industry, in the dark. The oil and gas industry focused on gaining support for the CACJ. They saw the law as a way to create new markets for natural gas at a time when prices were low. They stayed largely silent on the RES increase. Xcel supported the increase to protect itself from price changes. The renewables industry was worried about the move to gas. They agreed because of the 30 percent RES and provisions that were good for the wind industry. The new RES required Xcel to get 3 percent of its energy supply from rooftop solar, small hydro, and wind. Environmentalists wanted to increase the RES because of its long-term commitment to renewables.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the increasing use of natural gas, Colorado’s 30 percent RES is among the highest in the country.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>The term <em>New Energy Economy</em> refers to the transition of a state’s energy economy from one based on fossil fuels to one that includes renewable energy sources. Governor <strong>Bill Ritter Jr</strong>. led this effort in Colorado between 2007 and 2011.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The transition involved legislation and initiatives developed and funded by the state. By the end of 2014, Colorado’s electricity generation from renewables had increased to 18 percent from virtually nothing. The state is on track to meet its own Renewable Energy Standard (RES) goal of 30 percent by 2020.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Amendment 37</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Colorado’s New Energy Economy began taking shape before Ritter took office. The passage of Amendment 37 in 2004 established a 10 percent RES. It was the country’s first voter-approved RES. Amendment 37 required <strong>Xcel Energy</strong> and other utilities to produce 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015. They could not raise rates by more than 2 percent. The amendment included a solar “carve out.” This required utilities to meet a portion of the 10 percent mandate with solar sources.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Amendment 37 campaign faced opposition from the state’s electricity providers. Xcel Energy spent at least $1 million in its effort to defeat the initiative. Other opponents included the coal industry and the steel industry.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Proponents framed Amendment 37 in terms of environmental protection, rural economic development, and job creation. Democrats highlighted the environmental benefits. Republican allies emphasized the economic benefits of wind projects. Rents paid to landowners and tax benefits would help depressed areas in eastern Colorado. Voters in the six Front Range counties most likely to benefit from new jobs in renewables also joined. By linking clean energy to rural development, the measure passed with a 53.6 percent majority.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>New Energy Economy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Shortly after the passage of Amendment 37, Ritter shared his vision for the New Energy Economy as he campaigned for governor. The goal was not simply to promote the use of clean energy, but to build a new economy based on it. By continuing to highlight the links between clean energy, job creation, and environmental concerns, Ritter tried to grow the alliance that passed Amendment 37.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>One of Ritter’s first legislative proposals after taking office in January 2007 was to raise the RES to 20 percent by 2020. The initiative passed with little opposition. Xcel realized it would meet the 10 percent RES eight years early. The company had begun to view renewable energy as a way to hedge against price fluctuations in coal and natural gas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Ritter’s effort to reorganize the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the state agency that oversees oil and gas development, was much more contentious. The majority of the COGCC’s seven members represented the oil and gas industry. This was consistent with the agency’s mission to promote the development of the state’s natural resources to generate revenue. In 2007 the legislature added two additional members. Lawmakers said that wildlife, public health, and environmental interests must also be represented. These changes allowed Ritter to write new rules in 2008. The rules addressed drilling-related environmental and wildlife concerns. They oil and gas industry was afraid that the new regulations would kill jobs. The industry launched a campaign that weakened some proposed rules.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Natural Gas Ascendant</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Ritter relationship with the oil and gas sector changed in 2009. The shift took many by surprise. In a July 2009, Ritter declared that natural gas was “mission critical” to the New Energy Economy. The oil and gas industry saw Ritter’s awareness of the industry’s central role in the state’s economy. Members of the Ritter administration suggested the move was linked to a long-term goal of reducing dependence on coal as the state’s major electricity source.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The new partnership between the Ritter administration and the oil and gas industry was key to the success in raising the RES to 30 percent in 2010. The process required careful coalition building. The 30 percent RES was part of a compromise linked to the Colorado Clean Air and Clean Jobs Act (CACJ). The legislation required major utilities to replace, retrofit, or retire 900 megawatts of coal-fired power generation with natural gas or lower or non-emitting fuel by 2018.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Negotiations for the 30 percent RES and the CACJ took place out of the public eye. This kept potential opponents, such as the coal industry, in the dark. The oil and gas industry focused on gaining support for the CACJ. They saw the law as a way to establish new markets for natural gas at a time when prices were low. They stayed largely stayed silent on the RES increase. Xcel supported the increase to insulate itself from nonrenewable price fluctuations. It could shift some of its electricity generation from coal to natural gas. The renewables industry was concerned about the move to gas. They agreed because of the 30 percent RES and provisions that were beneficial to the wind industry. The new RES required Xcel to get 3 percent of its energy supply from rooftop solar, small hydro, and wind. Environmentalists were eager to increase the RES because of its long-term commitment to renewables.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the increasing prominence of natural gas, Colorado’s 30 percent RES is among the highest in the country.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 06 Feb 2017 23:14:22 +0000 yongli 2333 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org