Affordability Matters Blog
Red tape. Aggressive agendas. Bureaucracy. Get the latest news about what's threatening your access to affordable electricity.
When I recently heard Bill Gates tout cheap electricity as essential for improving the lives of poor people around the world, I was struck by how similar his opinion is to that of electric co-op leaders.
Gates was speaking during the February 27-29 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C. (This should not be confused with the Colorado Rural Electric Association’s Energy Innovations Summit held in the fall.) ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, was created to bring together scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs to do transformational research in the energy field and to bridge the gap between basic energy research and the commercial application of new technologies.
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About the Author
Kent L. Singer
Kent is the Executive Director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA). Prior to joining CREA, Kent was corporate counsel for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and general counsel for Holy Cross Electric Association. He is a founding member of the Board of Advisors for the Electric Cooperative Bar Association and is currently a member of the Denver and Colorado Bar Associations. Kent received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.
Dairies are a fast-growing segment of the agriculture industry in Colorado. Like other industry segments, dairies use a lot of electricity to power the milk production and distribution process. Dairies must do everything they can to keep the cost of electricity low. When electricity rates rise, it hurts these dynamic and productive Colorado businesses.
Chris Craft owns and operates an average-sized dairy farm in northeastern Colorado and says that electricity is a significant portion of the operating costs for all dairy farms.
“Dairies use quite a lot of electricity in the milking process. Many milk barns in Colorado are running over 20 hours per day,” said Craft. Read more »
About the Author
Shawn Martini
Part of the agriculture and rural way of life since birth, Shawn is an agribusiness professional in Denver, Colo. His family has farmed grapes and almonds in California, and corn and soybeans in South Dakota. He put himself through college working on cattle ranches across northeastern Colorado and never turns down an opportunity to be around good horses. He writes frequently on the intersection of public policy and the agriculture industry. He lives in Brighton, Colo. Shawn is a regular contributor to the Affordability Matters blog.
Thanks to all of you who came out to support affordable electricity at the Denver Auto Show!
From March 21-25, the Keep Electricity Affordable team set up a booth to engage and educate car enthusiasts about the potential threats to affordable electricity. We were especially excited to have a plug-in Chevy Volt on display to help underscore the expanding uses of energy in the modern household and the growing role of electricity as an affordable transportation fuel! We also set up the KEA photo booth and got dozens of visitors to show their support by telling us the one thing they can’t imagine unplugging. You can find all of the photo booth pictures on our Facebook page. Read more »
After more than two years of hearings, deliberations, and court challenges—the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) has come full circle. And New Mexicans are better off for it.
In the closing days of the last Administration in 2010, the EIB adopted four rules, or regulations that it believed would reduce CO2 emissions in New Mexico. This was done, based on questionable facts and analysis, and even more questionable conclusions. The rules were cobbled together without much attention to application and implementation.
Fast forward and what a difference a year makes. The new EIB has gone back and taken a second look at its greenhouse gas regulations (GHG). It has considered the benefits versus the costs of these rules. The EIB has carefully thought through how these rules can be implemented and how they work with the other existing rules.
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About the Author
Keven J. Groenewold
Is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NMRECA). Keven has worked for the Public Service Company of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Energy Consultants, Inc., and the New Mexico Public Utility Commission. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the New Mexico State University.