Boulder leaders: Decision on energy future will be historic

Mar 7 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Laura Snider Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.

In the 1950s and '60s, Boulder's population more than tripled. More residents meant more growth, and development began to spill out from the heart of town.

The specter of urban sprawl, especially new houses in the mountain backdrop west of Boulder, drove residents to campaign for, and pass, two initiatives that have had an indelible impact on the way the city looks today. The 1959 Blue Line -- which kept the city from pumping water uphill, and therefore, limited development in the foothills -- and the 1967 open space tax, which provided a dedicated funding stream for purchasing the greenbelt surrounding the city, were both monumental in shaping Boulder's future.

Today, city officials say Boulder is at another turning point and that a decision made by residents in the next couple of years -- this time about Boulder's energy supply -- could be equally monumental.

"This is just such a historic moment in Boulder's history," said Jonathan Koehn, the city's regional sustainability coordinator. "This is a critical decision, and people need to know that we're not making this in a vacuum and that this has to be a community decision."

But Koehn and his colleagues worry that decisions about Boulder's energy future -- which include whether Boulder should form a municipal utility -- may be far more complex than past decisions about urban growth, and so the city is launching an outreach campaign designed to reach residents who aren't already regulars at public meetings.

Last year, the City Council decided to let Boulder's 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy expire. City staffers had tried to negotiate with Xcel to get more renewable energy in the local energy mix, and therefore, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But when the utility couldn't promise Boulder would get more renewable energy than other customers, the city decided to explore its options.

The end goal, Koehn said, is to secure an energy supply that is not only cleaner than what residents have now -- which relies largely on coal and natural gas -- but that is also as local and reliable as possible.

"The purpose of this project, ultimately, is to ensure that customers in the city have access to reliable energy that's increasingly clean and remains competitively priced," Koehn said. "Whatever decision is made this year or next will basically determine how we are able to meet those goals with regards to emissions and with regards to long-term rate stability."

Koehn said all options that meet the city's larger goals are on the table, but practically speaking, the city will most likely need to choose between staying with Xcel or starting a municipal utility -- both of which would require voter approval. The City Council has said it hopes to have something on the ballot this fall, though it's not clear whether it would be a vote on a franchise with Xcel, a vote to start a municipal utility, a referendum that provides the council with direction or something else entirely.

But getting an issue on the ballot this fall leaves the city with only a few months to get voters up to speed on a range of difficult-to-understand issues. To help, the city has hired contractors who plan to take a pop-up display around Boulder to educate residents and also learn how much people already know.

"We're developing a mobile exhibit that we can bring to places where people are already gathering," said Lucia Robinson, principal at Sustineo Creative.

Robinson is working with Robb Shurr, founder of Kickstand Communications, on the project. The exhibit, which Robinson and Shurr say will be as interactive as possible, is still a couple of weeks from showing up around town.

"The idea is to get as many people involved in the process as possible," Shurr said.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Laura Snider at 303-473-1327 or sniderl@dailycamera.com.

Editor's note:

As the Camera continues to cover Boulder's decision on its energy future, we are collecting stories, resources, videos and links at dailycamera.com/energy.