Colorado regulators to allow global warming testimony at power- plant hearing

Oct 28, 2004 - The Denver Post
Author(s): Steve Raabe

Oct. 28--Testimony about carbon emissions from a proposed coal- fired power plant and its effect on global warming will be allowed in a major regulatory hearing beginning next week, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission ruled Wednesday.

 

In its ruling, the PUC denied a request from Xcel Energy to disallow the testimony on Xcel's plan for a $1.3 billion power plant near Pueblo.

 

The coal-fired plant is the centerpiece of the utility's 10-year plan to provide enough power to serve Colorado's growing population.

 

The PUC on Monday begins a three-week hearing on the power plan.

 

In addition to the 750-megawatt coal plant, Xcel has proposed at least 500 megawatts of new wind-generated power and an undetermined amount of natural-gas-fired generation. One megawatt serves about 650 homes.

 

Parts of the plan have been hotly contested, including Xcel's proposal to build the coal plant itself instead of submitting the project for competitive bidding and the utility's desire to bill customers for the cost of the plant before its projected opening in 2009.

 

The PUC's ruling will allow testimony from James White, director of the Environmental Center at the University of Colorado.

 

On behalf of the city of Boulder, White has filed written testimony on carbon emissions' contribution to global warming.

 

The PUC also will allow testimony on environmentalists' desire to have the Pueblo plant use a clean-coal technology known as gasification, which Xcel has said would be too costly compared to a conventional coal-burning plant.

 

 


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