Dive Brief:

• In Colorado, 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.
• Last year's bill doubling the renewable requirement for cooperatives was strongly opposed by some cooperatives and rural Republicans, who argued that it would drive up electric prices. Investor-owned utilities – Black Hills and Xcel Energy – face a 30% by 2020 renewable requirement.
• Democrats said they may be willing to tweak the renewable requirements for cooperatives, but not overturn the law.

Dive Insight:

Democrats in Colorado have turned back efforts to reduce the renewable requirements for the IOUs as well. Opponents of renewable mandates argue that they will drive up prices and that the government shouldn't be in the business of dictating utility power portfolios. Last year, efforts to overturn renewable mandates failed across the U.S. Expect to see more modest efforts to chip away at the requirements this year.