Untrustworthy Utilities
The utilities are playing a dangerous game at the expense of the pristine land in the San Luis Valley and the Colorado ratepayers who would foot the bill for this unnecessarily expensive project.
Coloradans deserve the truth. They also deserve an accurate and high-quality analysis to find the best project possible.
Instead, Coloradans are getting misinformation and deceitful tactics that put the interests of the utilities and their shareholders above those of their customers and the environment.
Here are just some of the disturbing facts about the utilities’ actions:
- The utilities claim their proposed transmission line over La Veta Pass is the only viable way to solve the San Luis Valley’s energy reliability needs. However, their own 2008 study found several viable options to solve the reliability issue. Further, an independent 2009 study found numerous additional alternatives that do the same and more at a lower cost. The utilities still refuse to seriously consider any options other than their own.
- The utilities claim that a line north out of the San Luis Valley will limit renewable energy development and cost tens of millions more than their proposed project; the complete opposite is true. Alternatives to the north accommodate all foreseeable Southern Colorado renewable energy development while costing $24 million to $55 million less.
- Xcel keeps saying they need this line to accommodate new renewable energy needed to meet Colorado’s 30% Renewable Energy Standard. Yet in May 2011, they admitted they already have enough renewable energy to satisfy the standard through at least 2027.
- Xcel is exploiting Colorado ratepayers for millions of dollars. Xcel uses the ratepayers’ renewable energy surcharge to buy more renewable energy than it needs. It turns around and sells credits for this energy to California, raking in millions of dollars for its shareholders without risking or investing any of its own money.
- Tri-State and its local co-op refuse to share important information about the future energy demand in San Luis Valley with anyone – not even their own customers. This information, called a “load forecast,” is a 20-year projection of demand and is used for transmission system planning. Why would Tri-State share that information?
To continue to separate fact from fiction on the utilities’ project and our proposed alternatives, please read our fact sheet.