As goes Glenwood Springs energy customers, so we all go in Colorado? Speak up for school choice. It matters. An update on "For Cause" evictions, a progressive centerpiece
As goes Glenwood Springs energy customers, so we all go in Colorado?
Let me start with a quote from the Sun article below.
"Holy Cross Energy leaped into the upper echelons of green co-ops in December, when wind and solar installations switched on that put it on track for 90%-plus renewable power by late in 2025. Now the 45,000-member utility must work with customers on the demand side, to stretch supplies when wind and sun are scarce and to distribute power when it’s available to as many batteries as possible."
This is the longer version of the headline and touches on something that I wonder at.
As our state moves more and more to renewables without backing up that transition with a reliable base generation capability, how much more "demand management" will utilities pursue to balance the books?
The transition to completely renewable energy in this state will not (at current levels of technology) meet our energy needs and so I imagine there will have to be some form of it. The question is how much and what kind?
Will we get the mild text messages like those in Glenwood are getting about discounts on plugging in EV's at certain times? Will we have California-style emergency requests to conserve power? Will utilities be turning neighborhoods on and off throughout the day to meet the load on the grid?
I see inklings of it already with the (voluntary for now) program Xcel has that lets them control your cooling system during the summer and their smart meters. I find these concerning, as much for what feels like an intrusion as for the fact that simply doing it says something about the utility's confidence in renewables and our ability to meet the legislature's arbitrary greenhouse gas reduction targets.
All I can say is that I intend to avoid Xcel-controlled thermostats and smart meters like the plague. I intend to be watchful for more efforts on power companies or the government encroaching on what until now has been a simple relationship: when I feel like consuming you sell to me (particularly important when we have a utility that's been given monopoly power).
https://coloradosun.com/2024/03/05/holy-cross-energy-renewable-colorado-solar-wind/
Related and presented in the interest of balance.
I saw the letter to the editor in the Post recently and took a screenshot. I share it here with you in the interest of balance and to also show that just as there are those concerned over a transition to renewables there are those that think we're not doing enough.
Worth a read if for no other reason than to know the arguments those on the other side might make.
Speak up for school choice. It matters.
The Sun article linked first below profiles an alternative school, a night high school, and is worth a read. I say so both for the story about the school and for the students too.
I'll leave it to you to read up on it so I can take this opportunity to once again say that school choice matters. Humans are different. We don't do nearly anything the same, we don't hardly see anything the same, and the way that we learn is no different.
Even if the traditional public schools were perfect (which they are far from) there is no way that they can meet every need. Having options is therefore vital.
That's why it's important to speak up against measures (such as HB24-1363 linked second below) that would limit and or make it harder for genuine school choice in this state, particularly when efforts like this bill which specifically targets charter schools and not private schools.
I say this because those that have resources will ALWAYS have options. Those parents who want options but lack the money to fund private schools often lean heavily on charters because charters do not require tuition.
The bill has yet to get a committee date (and may not ever, in a shocking reversal of his usual pattern Polis has publicly expressed opposition), but I am watching it and hope to advocate against it. If school choice is a passion for you, bookmark it and keep an eye out for its first committee hearing.
https://coloradosun.com/2024/03/25/colorado-springs-education-night-school-harrison-school-district/
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1363
Related:
The op ed below details the writer's thoughts on how and why a group of Democrats on the Colorado State Board of Ed are making it difficult for Elizabeth's tiny, rural district to get a waiver so they could hire non-licensed substitute teachers (normally you have to have a sub in a public school be a licensed teacher, in cases where that's not too workable a district could seek a waiver so as to get a larger pool of potential subs to draw from).
I am not going to argue either way about the author's contention. I know nothing of this story.
What I can tell you as a teacher and as someone who has talked to many teachers is that being able to have substitutes is one of those (for lack of a better word) "lifestyle" or "work/life balance" things that I think is vital to attracting and retaining teachers.
I say this not so much for those teachers that want or need time off. I say this for those left behind. If you cannot get a sub, a teacher who is already busy will lose a planning period, a lunch, something.
That means extra work on top of an already busy day. This takes its toll. This is (I am convinced) a bigger factor in losing teachers than money.
If it is the case that the State Board of Ed is making it harder to get subs, I hope they realize what the decision they're making means.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/opinion/article_89e67cca-e55e-11ee-ae94-67152cf3cc62.html
An update on "For Cause" evictions, a progressive centerpiece
I testified against HB24 1098 at its first hearing and have been watching it out of the corner of my eye. My hope was that it would not clear the (presumably) cooler heads in the State Senate, but, according to the CPR article below, it will likely pass there too.**
This is disappointing because, as the CPR headline puts it, the bill is about " ... forcing landlords to offer extensions."
In other words, you don't know best what to do with your property, the government does. And they do not mind telling you who to rent to, how to do it, etc.
I have heard that in the past the governor was a firm "NO" on this type of legislation, but when I look at it's progress through the legislature so far and put that with what I know of his micromanaging style, I have to say that I think this will become law.
And we add yet another layer to the regulatory onion.
**In between the writing of this and the voting, this bill did pass the Senate19 to 15. I just didn't have time to do a full update.
https://www.cpr.org/2024/03/25/for-cause-eviction-bill-set-to-clear-colorado-senate/