Vote no: Prop KK punishes the innocent for the crimes of others. Update on Xcel giving your money to marijuana grow operations. Hey Daneya Esgar, who really raised utility rates? Hint: you.
I agree with Mr. Armstrong: Prop KK punishes the innocent for the crimes of others.
If you were still thinking over your ballot, I wanted to share an op ed by Complete Colorado's Ari Armstrong on Proposition KK (the tax on gun purchases).
It echoes what I've written and said about the measure: it's a tax (punishment) for the law-abiding to help "fix" (here in quotes because I'm not so sure that more money will fix the problems that the sponsors of KK say it will) problems others create.
Not fair. Vote no and send this turd down the pipe.
Op ed linked below if you'd like to read Mr. Armstrong's thoughts.
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2024/10/29/armstrong-punishing-the-innocent-with-proposition-kk/
An update on you paying Xcel to help marijuana grow operations green up.
I posted back at the end of September (see the first link below) on how Xcel was running short of its energy efficiency incentive money, having blown it mostly on marijuana grow operations. They (Xcel) wanted more and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was debating on how to deal with the shortfall and request for more.
The Sun article linked second below updates that story with what the PUC decided.
Before getting into numbers, let me quote the subtitle off the article because it probably sums it up as succinctly as any other way:
"Colorado regulators weighed rewarding poor budget management but were more concerned about disrupting the industry that businesses use to green their work."
Note who doesn't merit mention as being someone of concern. You and your rate payments.
As is typified by the arguments and show of support made by the Colorado Energy Office, by out of state environmental group Southwest Energy Efficiency Program, and by the City and County of Denver, the really important thing here is not fiscal responsibility. It's not good stewardship of money consumers are required to pay**. It's not the possibility of consumers having to pay more.
The important thing here is that vital work like making pot grow operations more efficient continue.
I should be clear here, no one is asking for extra money, and Xcel so far hasn't gotten any. What the PUC allowed Xcel to do was to borrow against their future money.
Let's make the numbers easy. Let's say that Xcel budgeted $100 a year for three years to pay for incentives to green up the grow rooms.
They screw up and spend $150 this year and then go to the PUC to ask for more money. What the PUC allowed was to let them shift $50 from next year into this year to make up the shortfall.
In theory this means that Xcel will only have $50 next year to dole out. Given that they couldn't stay in their budget this year, you'll pardon some skepticism about the next year. And the year after that. If you have a relative that constantly asks for money because they can't live in a budget, you'll know exactly what I mean here.
Quotes like the following don't do much to alleviate that:
“'If we’re pulling this money forward from an existing year there is a high likelihood of having a shortfall in 2026,' [PUC] Commissioner Tom Plant said at a September meeting. 'But that now gives us at least a little time to give the stakeholders the opportunity to come together and try to come up with some sort of agreed upon solution.'”
Mr. Plant. I got you. I got a perfect solution.
Maybe some of those wealthy benefactors who finance Southwest Energy Efficiency Project could pay future shortfalls.
Oh, one last thing. The following quote nearly made me say "what the f**k Xcel?" out loud when I read it.
"In its request for reconsideration, Xcel Energy is also seeking to ensure that its future performance bonuses won’t be hurt in 2025 and 2026, by the shift in funds."
Unbelievable that they think their mismanagement shouldn't cost a bonus.
**Check your Xcel bill for items like "Demand Management" that support efforts like these.
https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/chestertons-localism-xcel-helping?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://coloradosun.com/2024/10/15/energy-efficiency-rebates-businesses-xcel-colorado/
Who is raising your utility rates?
Former state legislator Daneya Esgar recently wrote an op-ed blasting Black Hills Energy's rate increases. I put a link to that op ed first below.
In it she demands that the PUC do something to make rates more affordable.
No mention, of course, of the role her and her fellow Democrats played in this price increase.
Don't worry though, because the episode of the Independence Institute's show on utilities (Power Gab--episode linked second below) goes into the details on that Ms. Esgar conveniently forgets in here letter.
Worth a watch!
https://www.chieftain.com/story/opinion/2024/09/16/esgar-its-time-to-take-a-stand-against-black-hills-energy/75191602007/