Boulder to vote on Municipal Electricity Service

On November 1, Boulderites will vote on whether to switch from Xcel Energy to a municipal electricity service, that would be called Boulder Light and Power.

City Council has approved 2B and 2C, two ballot issues that will determine the future of Boulder’s electricity service.

Proponents of 2B and 2C say that the issues will enable Boulder to secure 40 percent of its energy consumption from renewable sources, like wind and solar power.

If approved, Boulder would move into a potentially lengthy court process to determine how much it would cost for the municipal service to essentially buy and take over Xcel’s infrastructure. The funds to buy the infrastructure would come from bonds that the city holds, rather than from taxes.

At a recent forum on the issue, Sam Weaver, President and CEO of CoolEnergy, backed the municipalization, saying that Boulder would not meet its obligations under the Kyoto treaty by staying with Xcel. He did acknowledge, however, that Xcel is “one of the better renewable utilities in the country.”

Robert Bellemare, speaking on behalf of Xcel Energy, noted that Xcel is already obligated provide 30 percent renewable energy by 2020.