Voices before PUC were against Xcel

The voices were about three-to-one against Xcel at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) hearing on June 9. The question at the PUC concerned part of Xcel's package of "Energy Future" filings, and whether it is in the public interest. The voices saying "no" included AARP, the Sierra Club, a distinguished climate scientist, and workers from Colorado's competitive solar industry, as well as many regular citizens who are customers of Xcel. Participants packed the main hearing room plus two overflow rooms. The voices against said that Xcel's proposals actually would slow the adoption of solar, offer perverse incentives for using more electricity, disadvantage people on fixed or lower income, and harm the competitive solar industry. One of Xcel's proposals is to reduce the amount homeowners with rooftop solar receive for putting kilowatt-hours onto the system — the so-called net-metering credit. Xcel claims net-metering harms other customers. Yet a recent study by the Brookings Institution finds that net-metering is actually a net benefit — for the utility and for non-solar rate-payers. With Colorado's installed solar capacity lagging behind New Jersey (three times Colorado's) and even "sunny" Massachusetts (almost twice Colorado's), this is no time for Xcel to be putting on the brakes. As Boulder re-enters conversations with Xcel, we should be aware of what Xcel is trying to do at the PUC. As the climate crisis accelerates, Xcel should be accelerating our transition to 100 percent renewable energy rather than setting up barriers. One of the citizens speaking against Xcel's proposals and in favor of working to stop climate change suggested that the PUC set a docket for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. That might get three-to-one support.