A March 6 article in the Rocky Mountain News about a series of renewable energy bills moving through the state legislature reported that the Intermountain Rural Electric Association, a rural electric co-operative, opposes House Bill 1281 “over concerns that it would increase customers' electric bills.” However, the News failed to note, as it reported on February 23, that “scores” of IREA customers oppose the co-op's “stance against” HB 1281. The article also failed to note IREA customer opposition to the co-op's controversial hiring of a prominent critic of certain widely accepted scientific views on global warming, which renewable energy initiatives are intended to address.

Reporting that HB 1281 “would require Colorado utilities to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020 -- double the goal of 10 percent by 2015 that was set by Amendment 37, which voters passed in November 2004,” the News noted that "[c]ost remains a concern for many critics." However, the article did not mention that the bill also would establish a renewable energy standard of just 10 percent by 2020 for co-operative electric associations such as IREA. The News then reported:

Although the bill caps the cost to customers at 2 percent of a monthly bill (1 percent for rural electric co-op customers), IREA spokesman Stanley Lewandowski said he has written to [Gov. Bill] Ritter asking that the co-op be allowed to opt out of the proposed legislation.

Unlike other utilities, Intermountain didn't raise electric rates from 1982 through 2004, is returning $9 million to its 134,000 customers and is lowering rates by 4 percent effective July 1, Lewandowski said.

“I am sending customers money back, and guys that have a lot of wind energy are raising rates,” Lewandowski said. “So I must be doing something right.”

However, the article, by reporter Gargi Chakrabarty, ignored the fact that “scores of Intermountain customers say they support renewable energy and that the co-op is ignoring their voices,” as the News reported in its February 23 article, also by Chakrabarty. That article noted, “Dozens of Intermountain Rural Electric Association customers belonging to a group called IREA Voices turned out at the state Capitol to oppose the electric provider's stance against House Bill 1281.”

Furthermore, the News on March 6 failed to mention -- despite previous reporting -- IREA's controversial funding of Patrick Michaels, a prominent critic of certain widely accepted scientific views on global warming. As Colorado Media Matters noted, IREA general manager Stanley Lewandowski, in a July 17, 2006, memo, called upon member utilities to “support the scientific community that is willing to stand up against” global warming “alarmists.” The memo also stated that IREA “contributed $100,000” to Michaels. The News reported on August 3, 2006, that Lewandowski came “under fire from scientists and co-op members” because of Michaels' hiring. The News further noted that some IREA members said Lewandowski “overstepped his authority” in hiring Michaels.

From the March 6 Rocky Mountain News article “Capitol gung-ho on green,” by Gargi Chakrabarty:

“Green” energy is the state Capitol's new mantra.

More than a dozen bills aiming to transform Colorado into the green energy capital of the nation are wending their way through the legislative process, inching toward Gov. Bill Ritter's desk for his blessing.

Bills that double Colorado's current goal for electricity from renewable resources, help build power lines to carry wind energy, require gasoline to contain a certain amount of ethanol and have new homes and buildings comply with energy efficiency codes.

Ritter is expected to approve most of the major renewable energy and energy efficiency bills. He promised voters last year he would transform Colorado into a new energy economy that depends less on foreign oil or pollution-causing fossil fuels.

“Even if Saudi Arabia turns on the oil spigots, we have passed the tipping point,” said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. “This movement toward alternative fuel is not going to be derailed even if we have to pay (more) for it.”

The legislation will create thousands of jobs, save millions of dollars in energy costs, reduce emission of harmful pollutants in the atmosphere that cause global warming and pump billions of dollars of new investment into the state economy, proponents say.

[...]

Cost remains a concern for many critics.

The Intermountain Rural Electric Association opposes House Bill 1281 -- the centerpiece of Ritter's promise of a new energy economy -- over concerns that it would increase customers' electric bills.

The bill would require Colorado utilities to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020 -- double the goal of 10 percent by 2015 that was set by Amendment 37, which voters passed in November 2004.

Although the bill caps the cost to customers at 2 percent of a monthly bill (1 percent for rural electric co-op customers), IREA spokesman Stanley Lewandowski said he has written to Ritter asking that the co-op be allowed to opt out of the proposed legislation.

Unlike other utilities, Intermountain didn't raise electric rates from 1982 through 2004, is returning $9 million to its 134,000 customers and is lowering rates by 4 percent effective July 1, Lewandowski said.

“I am sending customers money back, and guys that have a lot of wind energy are raising rates,” Lewandowski said. “So I must be doing something right.”

Proponents say renewable energy and energy conservation are the cheapest and most reliable ways to increase electricity supply in the coming years, given the unstable price of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas that were the primary sources of electricity in past years.

Xcel says wind energy saved its customers $14 million in 2004 and 2005. A local wind industry lobby estimates wind energy will save customers $251 million in the next 20 years.