Renewable energy mandate: Colorado sold a bill of goods

By PAUL CHESSER | The Pueblo Chieftain

Seven years ago, environmentalists sold Colorado voters a bill of goods: That forcing so-called “renewable” energy on customers would make air cleaner, save us from global warming and create thousands of net new jobs via “green” energy schemes.

They were wrong about all three.

The successful 2004 ballot initiative required that by the year 2020, Xcel Energy obtain at least 10 percent of its electricity from alternative (to coal and natural gas) fuels such as wind, solar and other nontraditional but allegedly “clean” means. Since then, lawmakers have upped the ante. In 2007, they raised the mandate to 20 percent and last year increased it to a 30 percent by 2020. Alternative energy entrepreneurs, who couldn’t sell their products without government to coerce it, cheered each increase.

Now they all have a lot of explaining to do.

Read the rest here:

http://tinyurl.com/3zjm565