Gov. Polis recently issued an alarming greenhouse gas reduction plan, noted in an Oct. 1 Times-Call article “Polis’ plan calls for more electric cars.” It is the implementation plan for legislation and executive orders that are already in place. It can be viewed at energyoffice.colorado.gov. The plan is labeled as a public review draft, but since all implementing machinery is established, it is unlikely that any substantive changes will be made.
It is massive in scope and will invoke a level of government interference and control never before seen in almost every aspect of our lives. It shifts most control from the local level to the state. The recent squabbling by local Longmont leaders as to whether PRPA should strive to be 90 or100 per cent carbon free is therefore irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what local leaders decide; every power generating entity in the state will do what the state wants done to meet the goal of this plan.
Each power generator will still submit periodic IRP revisions, but they will be coerced into changing them if they don’t comply with what the state wants. Generation will be shifted almost completely to wind and solar. Requirements will also be greatly increased by the extensive electrification required by the plan. It includes all commercial and residential heating as well as the entire transportation sector, with “close to 100%” of the vehicles on Colorado’s roads slated to become electric. This will result in wind turbines and solar panels essentially blanketing the entire state.
A careful reading of the plan reveals an intent to decimate the Colorado oil and gas industry using draconian regulatory authority. An inkling of this approach is apparent in the move by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which was revamped by the 2019 oil and gas law, to quadruple the setbacks for new oil and gas wells, similar to a requirement voters rejected in 2018. This move came shortly after imposition of first-of-its-kind emissions-monitoring rules for wells by the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission. This is also part of the implementation of the same 2019 oil and gas law. Many have expressed concern about the industry’s ability to survive these types of regulatory attacks.
Polis’ plan does not speak to its implementation cost, but it is obvious it will be huge. Published estimates for similar proposed initiatives in other areas indicate the cost could easily exceed $100,000 for every Colorado household. There will be a continuing impact due to the loss of much of the $15 billion oil and gas industry contribution to the economy each year and from higher electric power rates. The likely magnitude of the power rate increases can be seen from looking at California, which embarked on a similar plan several years ago. The cost of electric power in California has risen to a level almost twice that of the present cost in Colorado. There has also been a serious decrease in the California electrical power system reliability, as evidenced by the recent wave of rolling blackouts.
The stated purpose of the plan is to reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A rather extreme goal of a 90% greenhouse gas emission reduction from all Colorado sources by 2050 is set. If the goal is met on the path laid out, it appears that greenhouse gas emissions, from both energy and non-energy sources, will be decreased by about 2 billion metric tons, expressed as equivalent carbon dioxide, between now and 2050. That may seem like a significant amount until the total global emission of greenhouse gases is considered.
According to EPA projections, the expected total global emission of greenhouse gases between now and 2050 will be about 1.6 trillion metric tons, expressed as equivalent carbon dioxide. Therefore, the 2 billion reduction expected to be achieved by Polis’ plan will be about one-eighth of 1 percent of the total emitted. The plan’s effect on the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will be undetectable. That’s what makes this plan so disturbing; it will wreck our economy, compromise the integrity of our power grid and install an Orwellian level of government control in our lives while accomplishing nothing.
Carl Brady is a retired engineer who has lived in Frederick for about 15 years.
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October 10, 2020 at 07:48PM
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Carl Brady: Colorado greenhouse gas reduction plan will deliver Orwellian level of government control - Longmont Times-Call
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