The Citizens of Boulder Want Renewable Energy Now

For those of you who may not be aware of it, the city of Boulder, CO is going through a process of attempting to “municipalize” its electrical power, i.e., to arrange for the city to purchase the assets necessary to deliver power to its own citizens. This is a process that seems bound to play itself out in hundreds of other communities over the coming years.

In particular, Boulder’s citizens have decided to migrate to renewable energy much faster than the local energy provider (Xcel Energy) wants to make happen, and sees municipalization as the only option, but the utility is fighting back tooth and nail to prevent this from happening. The article linked above walks readers through the basics of the struggle, and describes the appalling lack of honesty that Xcel is using to stall the city’s residents’ progress in this arena, as outlined in this “Xcel’s Whoppers” website.

Best wishes to the people of Boulder, who overwhelmingly approved the idea (69% support), and best of luck to other cities that may see fit to follow suit in the future.

I only wish there were a “Ghost of Christmas Future” (from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”) or a “Clarence” (the angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life”) to show us what our civilization will look like a few decades hence if we continue to allow Big Energy’s lies and corruption to maintain its stranglehold on us, and to ensure that fossil fuels remain our de facto energy policy.