- Columbus Day parade embarrassment
- Money can cause incompetence
- Victim advocates still wrong
- DMV restrooms a disaster
- Fareed Zakaria’s editorial
- Thoughts on torture
- Surprised that Sen. Salazar signed Reid letter
- “Memoirs 2002” an interesting read
- Mike Rosen on Al Gore & Nobel Peace Prize
- Wasteful marathon
Fitz-Gerald a shill for oil, gas industry
Some people might have wondered why 28 Xcel Energy executives have contributed to Joan Fitz-Gerald’s congressional campaign. After all, aren’t the Democrats on the little guy’s side and the Republicans on the side of oil and gas? Perhaps the answer is in HB 1037, sponsored in the state Senate by Fitz-Gerald.
The bill was marketed as a bill promoting energy efficiency. But on close reading it looks like another oil and gas welfare bill. It gives utilities the right to recover their costs without filing a rate case. It includes a “bonus structure to reward gas utilities for investments.” It allows them to recover money “without having to show that such expenditures are cost-effective.” And the utilities don’t even have to achieve any kind of energy efficiency because it includes a clause that they “not adopt any measure authorizing a financial penalty against a gas utility that fails to meet the targets in any particular year.” In other words, raise our rates, subsidize Xcel and give its executives big bonuses. And if they don’t manage to do anything ... well, that’s OK, too.
Sounds more like a bill from the office of our president than from a candidate trying to follow in U.S. Rep. Mark Udall’s footsteps. Let’s not put another representative of the oil and gas industry in Washington — that industry is represented well enough.
Kris Moe, Boulder
why would a resident of the republic of boulder care about xcel and natural gas and energy? dont all of you blow hards use wind power and solar? why would anyone want to allow a company to recover their cost of doing business when it doesnt meet the standards of the greenies in boulder. I am really shocked to know that there are still regular gas stations in boulder and not electric recharge stations.
wow udall must really be something to make someone from boulder not like a progressive liberal, maybe he isnt far enough to the wingnut side of socialism as you are.
Kris, it doesn't matter if it is a republican or democrat. They are all in the pockets of the fascist corporations. Do some homework and you will realize this fact. The little people of the USA are going to squashed like bugs soon. Nafta, Cafta, Law of the Seas treaty, unlimited immigration, job outsourcing, elimination of family farms, Patriot Act, and on and on. Of course the liberals will scoff at this as they still believe that they will be taken care of in the future. They will be sadly mistaken when they end up no better off than the out of work framer or the engineer who is now driving pizzas for a living in addition to collecting aluminum cans for gas. Dollar at all time lows, oil at all time highs, stock market poised for a fall, corporations bailed out by the FED in the subprime lending debacle making your doller worth even less every day, other lies about inflation. When will it end?
Posted by RP McMurphy on October 30, 2007 08:27 AMDEMS PLAN ENERGY TAX HIKES !!!
"After faltering on their war agenda and on expanding children’s health care, Democratic congressional leaders are hungry for a domestic policy victory, and they’ve set their sights on energy efficiency legislation focused on taxing oil company profits."
TAX HIKES on big oil to support windmills, solar collectors, biofuels, geothermal? Corn? What do we do for the next 10-15 years? Crude just hit $93 p/b, can $5 at the pump be that far behind? What about $2,000 monthly heating bills? That's 2008--not 2025!
ANWR is out of bounds, the energy-rich California Coast is out of bounds, 85% of the energy rich outer continental shelf is out of bounds, the Roan and Vermillion are out of bounds, we are not exploiting our 250 year supply of coal. What about coal gasification? When was tha last time we built a nuke power plant?
Tax hikes? How about just punching a few holes in the ground, we are sitting on the solution--it parked right under our asses! The energy answer is in the here and now, not 2 generations from now.
Posted by Hank on October 30, 2007 10:54 AMThe little people of the USA are going to squashed like bugs soon.
rp we will not miss you
Posted by on October 30, 2007 11:04 AMVote for Polis
Posted by on October 31, 2007 07:52 AM