The Journal’s March 8 story “Is Clean Power Plan out of reach?” brought up several real concerns we face when deciding how to best comply with the EPA’s administrative rule, and he successfully shut down each and every one of them. In Colorado, it has become a growing concern as to whether we can implement a plan that meets the EPA’s standards, and the simple answer is yes, we can. While it’s true that Colorado has a higher reduction requirement to meet, our state has been a leader when it comes to clean energy initiatives. In 2004 Colorado became the first state to adopt a renewable energy standard, requiring that major utility companies use renewable energy to power at least 30 percent of their total grid by 2020. Because of initiatives such as the RES, far before the Clean Power Plan was introduced, Colorado was already well on its way to meeting its requirements. If we simply continue with this trajectory, Colorado is in a great position to comply with the Clean Power Plan by the year 2030.
Gus Kitchell
Denver