Tag: coal power plants
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Colorado governor signs bill requiring pollution controls, cost reporting for extended coal operations
Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill in reaction to orders from the U.S. Department of Energy to keep older coal units online. The federal government’s instructions applied to Craig Unit 1 in Colorado, one of five coal units affected nationwide. The state legislation requires installation of modern pollution controls and cost reporting for…
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Colorado legislature could keep coal burning at Ray Nixon Power Plant through 2032
A bill progressing through the legislature could nearly double the remaining years that Colorado Springs Utilities can receive coal-fired power from the Ray Nixon Power Plant. Since 1980, the plant generated up to 260 megawatts of power from its massive coal-fire generators for Colorado Springs residents. The plant is scheduled to go offline at the…
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Environmentalists and Colorado Springs Utilities split on retirement date for Ray Nixon coal power plant
On Tuesday night, around 25 people gathered at Old Colorado City Brewing to celebrate Ray Nixon’s retirement. Nixon is only 46 years old, but the retirement has been expected for several years. The crowd delivered toasts and signed a poster-sized retirement card. “It’s just not ‘cool’ to hang on too long, like a pro athlete…
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U.S. energy secretary warns Colorado’s energy policies could drive up prices, deter businesses
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U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Monday warned that Colorado’s energy policies could lead to higher electricity prices and deter businesses, such as data centers, from locating in the state. Wright, a former executive of a Colorado-based energy company tapped by the Trump White House to lead the energy department, urged state policymakers to focus…
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LETTERS: An aging coal plant; a remarkable life
An aging coal plant The deadline for the Nixon Coal Plant should be 2029, and not extend beyond that year. Delaying the plant’s retirement will increase the potential for greater coal-generated pollution, an issue along the Colorado Front Range, especially since it contributes to and exacerbates respiratory-related illnesses, e.g., asthma and heart disease. I believe…
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Colorado Springs lawmakers and EPA push to keep Ray Nixon Power Plant open
Lawmakers and officials for Colorado Springs Utilities announced plans Monday to push for a legislative change that would allow the utility’s coal-fire power plant to remain open for a few years beyond the current 2029 closure date. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers, including the Republican minority leaders for the House and Senate, spoke at…
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EPA rejects Colorado’s plan to tie coal plant shutdowns to cleaner skies
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Federal air quality regulators on Friday rejected Colorado’s latest haze-reduction plan, saying the state wrongly tried to force coal-fired power plants to close early as part of efforts to clear up views in national parks and wilderness areas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that Colorado’s 2022 plan did not properly prove the forced shutdowns…
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Feds order coal-fired Craig power plant to remain open
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The Trump administration’s energy agency has ordered one of three generating units at a Colorado power plant to remain available for operation amid an impending shutdown of the station and its supplying coal mines. The move is one of the latest attempts by the White House to revive coal production in the U.S. following President…
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Utilities to provide details on future of Ray Nixon Power Plant early next year
The first few months of 2026 will help determine whether Colorado Springs Utilities still plans to close the coal-fired Ray Nixon Power Plant by the end of 2029. The Nixon power plant south of Fountain has been scheduled to close by the end of the decade to meet Colorado’s goals to reduce emissions and decarbonize…