Don’t give up now

Upon returning to Boulder County after several years living away caring for family, I was shocked to learn that Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver and Mayor Pro Tem Bob Yates were attempting to dismantle the city’s nearly decade-long process of forming its own municipal utility. To do so while Boulder County is dealing with an unprecedented pandemic was particularly surprising.

A reason they cite is that significant time has passed and money been spent working on this massive project. Yet they fail to also mention that Xcel Energy’s resistance through legal and regulatory obstruction is the main reason for this delay and expense.

So why give in to the bully, especially since residents would have little control over electricity rates?

We’re very close to the freedom that more than 20 other cities in Colorado that run their own utilities enjoy, including Longmont, Loveland, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs. Why Boulder officials might feel compelled to retreat, and send Boulder’s money to this out-of-state monopoly that is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels rather than reinvesting locally and saving money is perplexing.

Don’t hand Xcel a blank check to continue to fill our air with fossil fuel pollution. Boulder can do much better without Xcel to more rapidly achieve our clean energy and climate goals. Boulder doesn’t cave to bullies, nor does it set itself up to fail. Vote “no” on Ballot Issue 2C.