Steve Pomerance

On Dec. 20, Xcel Energy sent a demand letter to Boulder city officials, outlining what it requires the City of Boulder to agree to if Xcel were to continue its solar and energy efficiency programs (this letter preceded the somewhat confusing one that many Boulder ratepayers just received.) No surprise, Xcel’s proposals ignore both legal and economic realities. Xcel opened its Dec. 20 letter by threatening to terminate both its energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in Boulder because Boulder citizens voted to continue the evaluation of creating a municipal electric utility. Xcel claims these programs are “discretionary” even though all ratepayers pay for them, and state law requires that all customers of utilities like Xcel be treated without discrimination based on location. So Xcel’s opening gambit is on very shaky grounds. Xcel’s specifics are also suspect. If Boulder goes “muni,” Xcel wants to claim compensation for pre-2012 Solar Rewards rebates that helped pay for

Boulder is facing some major issues for its transportation system, including growth issues, capacity issues, funding issues, and energy issues. Although the developed part of Boulder has very little vacant land, the potential for redevelopment is still huge. Some planning estimates envision 60,000-plus more jobs to “reasonable buildout” on top of the current 50-70,000 in-commuters (the exact number is uncertain), plus many thousands more new residents. Our major streets are close to capacity, as we notice at rush hour or with the fall influx of students. At the recent council transportation study session, city staff outlined millions of dollars of annual needs that will not be met unless additional funding is provided. Finally, transportation accounts for over 20 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. If we are not going to go the way of most cities, and end up with traffic jams on potholed streets, a lot of money will have to be invested and new regulations will have to be insti