A kind reader sent us a picture taken from Facebook of a love letter from Conservation Colorado and Interwest Energy Alliance to Democratic Representative Cherylin Peniston that appeared in the Westminster Window recently.  Here’s the advertisement taken out by the two entities:

The ad reads:

“Rep. Cherylin Peniston, Thank you for supporting Senate Bill 252.  Your leadership will help drive clean energy jobs in Colorado.”

BFFs Conservation Colorado and The Interwest Energy Alliance (not to be confused with the Western Energy Alliance, which advocates for the more sensible natural gas development) may be offering false advertising.

SB13-252 raises the state’s renewable energy mandate to 25% for rural electric cooperatives by 2020.  Primarily, the bill would impact the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, which is based in Westminster.  Not surprisingly, the bill was opposed by the organization, which is already working to met the 10 percent mandate by 2020.  The new regulation would cost the utility billions of dollars to stay in compliance.

The association’s president Tim Boughey told the Denver Business Journal:

“The bill’s short 6-1/2 year implementation [by 2020] time frame is unprecedented, unachievable and irresponsible. This unworkable bill demonstrates the sponsors’ failure to engage those affected and shows a fundamental lack of understanding of electric utilities.”

For a fundamental lack of understanding of electric utilities, a failure to engage those affected by the new unreasonable mandates, and an unprecedented, unachievable and irresponsible implementation time frame, let’s give three cheers to Rep. Peniston.

Thanks Rep. Peniston for forcing inefficient energy sources on Colorado’s rural communities.  Thanks a whole lot.