Dive Brief:
- A bill to roll back Colorado's renewable portfolio standard for investor-owned utilities failed after Democrats killed the bill in a House committee vote along party lines, reports the Denver Business Journal.
- While advocates say the 30% by 2020 renewables goal has built a strong green energy business in the state, some lawmakers also believe the measure had raised energy prices and could drive away business.
- None of Colorado's utilities spoke in favor of the bill, the Journal reports.
Dive Insight:
A push to turn back Colorado's renewable portfolio standard has failed to make it out of the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, Denver Business Journal reported.
Republican lawmakers opened the legislative session by proposing to drop renewables mandates from 30% to 15% in 2020.
“The Democrats ignored the needs of rural Colorado two years ago when they pushed through onerous and burdensome renewable energy mandates,” said Rep. Dan Thurlow (R). “This year, they have repeatedly spoken of the need to help the areas which are still economically distressed; yet, when given the opportunity, the Democrats showed they would rather stick to their strict ideology than listen to the needs of rural Colorado.”
Opponents of the renewables standard say it is raising energy prices and potentially driving away business. But the Journal reported no utilities actually spoke in favor of the bill.
A year ago in a similar vote, Democrats killed a bill that would have reversed a new law that requires large cooperative utilities to get 20% of their power from renewable resources by 2020.
