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Colorado and coal

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This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of CoalSwarm and the Center for Media and Democracy.

Contents

Introduction

In 2006, Colorado ranked seventh in the nation in coal production, with over 36 million short tons of coal produced.[1] Approximately 68% of Colorado coal is exported to Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. Most of the coal used in Colorado is its own, although the state also imports coal from Wyoming.[2] About 70 percent of the coal produced in Colorado is a high-grade bituminous coal with low ash and sulfur contents.[3]

Coal-fired power plants produce about 70% of the electricity generated in Colorado.[4] In 2006, Colorado power plants consumed 19.37 million tons of coal to generate about 37.5 million MW hours of electricity.[2]

In 2003, Colorado produced 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, ranking it 23rd in the nation overall.[5]

Citizen activism

On November 4, 2008, voters in Boulder County passed Ballot Issue 1A.[6] The measure will create a voluntary program for property owners to install energy efficiency improvements such as solar panels, with loans backed by up to $40 million in bonds. The individual loans will be tied to the property rather than the owner and will be repaid via assessments added to property tax bills. If a property owner moves within five years, the loan is transferrable to the new owner via the same assessment. Reducing the cost of solar panels and other efficiency measures is expected to remove a significant barrier for many Boulder homeowners.[7]

July 14, 2009: Residents protest Valmont at public hearing, push for conversion

Xcel Energy and the City of Boulder are in negotiations to renew Valmont Station's contract with the city. The agreement must be renewed every five years and is slated to expire in August 2010.[8] Many Boulder residents are pushing for the plant to stop burning coal either shut down entirely or convert to cleaner energy.[9][10]

On July 14, 2009, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission held a hearing to solicit public comment on renewing the plant's permit. More than 200 people turned out to oppose the plant at a rally before the meeting. About 50 people addressed the Commission, asking its members to deny the permit because the plant emits more than 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.[11]

November 18, 2009: Demonstrators protest Cherokee and Valmont Stations: Denver, CO

Protesters dressed as clowns visited Colorado Governor Ritter's office to urge him to "stop clowning around when it comes to confronting global warming." Environmental groups are opposed to Xcel's request to renew expired permits at its Cherokee and Valmont Stations and want the state to pursue clean energy options instead. New research has shown that nitrogen oxide emissions are clouding lakes, changing lake biology, and threatening the aquatic life in the Colorado mountains.[12]

November 19, 2009: Residents pack regulator's hearing on Cherokee: Denver, CO

Local residents packed a public hearing by state air-quality regulators, urging officials to deny Xcel's request to renew its permit for Cherokee Station. More than 50 people spoke in opposition to the plant and advocated for a switch to cleaner energy sources. Residents argued that at minimum, regulators should work with Xcel to ramp up natural-gas systems at the plant, and then switch to solar and wind as those technologies mature.[13]

November 30, 2009: Activists stage "Die-In" at Department of Public Health and Environment in Denver, CO

Fifteen activists demonstrated outside the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (DPHE) to demand the denial of Xcel Energy's request to renew its air permit for Cherokee Station. The protesters greeted DPHE employees as they arrived for work and called on the department to close the coal plant. Protestors staged a "die-in" to call attention to the harmful health and environmental effects of coal. Other activists wore hazmat suits and roped off the area with "Global Warming Crime Scene" tape.[14]

History

Legislative issues

Environmentalists are working to introduce legislation requiring utility companies to disclose fuel and emissions information to customers. The legislation would require utilities to put fuel, emissions information, and plain-language explanations of fees for fossil fuels in easy-to-read graphs on customer bills.[15]

Governors request federal funding for "clean coal"

On February 22, 2009, the governors of Colorado, and Utah, and Wyoming submitted a letter to President Obama asking for funding to develop "clean coal" projects in their states. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, and Wyoming Gov. Dave Fruedenthal, argued that developing a cleaner way to burn coal is essential to reducing emissions, protecting national security, and creating jobs. The letter also said that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 approved federal cost sharing for a clean-coal demonstration project using coal mined in the West, but that no project was ever funded. According to the governors, the three states are ready to start developing new demonstration projects and retrofitting existing plants with carbon capture and storage technologies.[16]

Arch Coal lays off 61 Colorado miners

In June 2009, Arch Coal subsidiary Mountain Coal Co. laid off 61 miners at its West Elk Mine in Somerset, CO. The layoffs follow a recent release of about 40 contract workers. Arch Coal released a statement saying that US coal markets have gone through "an unprecedented contraction" in the last several months. [17]

Proposed coal plants

Active

Cancelled

Citizen groups

Coal lobbying groups

Power companies

Existing coal plants

Colorado has 33 operating coal-fired power units at 14 locations totaling 5,308 megawatts (MW).[18][19] None of these units is larger than 50MW.[20][21] (To see a map of existing coal plants in the U.S., click here.)

Click on the locations shown on the Colorado map for plant details:


7 of these units are larger than 500MW.[1][2]

Major coal mines

Proposed coal mines

Red Cliff Mine, CAM-Colorado
CAM-Colorado has proposed a new underground coal mine 15 miles northwest of Grand Junction in Mesa County. The Red Cliff Mine would produce 8 million tons of coal annually over 30 years, making it one of the largest in Colorado. The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement closes on March 17, 2009. [4]

Sage Creek Mine
Peabody Energy and Twen­tymile Coal Company hope to begin construction on the new underground Sage Creek Mine in West Routt County, CO as early as 2010. The new mine is expected to replace the existing Twentymile Mine sometime in 2013, when the underground longwall mining operation is projected to run out of coal. Twentymile produced 8 million tons of coal in 2008.[5]

Resources

References

  1. ↑ Power Plants in Colorado, accessed May 2008.
  2. ↑ Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration website, accessed May 2008.
  3. ↑ Major U.S. Coal Mines, Energy Information Administration, accessed May 2008.
  4. ↑ "Proposed Red Cliff Mine Project Description", BLM Colorado website, accessed March 2009.
  5. ↑ "New coal mine planned for West Routt," Steamboat Pilot & Today, April 5, 2009.

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