Colorado House passed bill Monday that could pave the way for renewable energy to be generated at Lake Pueblo State Park
DENVER — The House passed a bill Monday that could pave the way for renewable energy to be generated at Lake Pueblo State Park.
Sponsored by Reps. Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, and Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins, HB1349 authorizes state parks to generate more renewable energy than they use. It proposes first to use federal stimulus dollars to conduct a feasibility study that identifies which parks are best suited for the task.
Black Hills Energy and Lake Pueblo State Park officials have been conducting discussions about a wind-power station at the park, because existing transmission lines nearby are accessible and could accommodate the additional load. However, the talks are in the early stages and several obstacles remain. Finding a third party to develop the project and HB1349 becoming law are two of them.
Opponents argued that the parks would compete with private industry under the terms of the bill, which would allow production of 120 percent as much energy as the parks consume, with the overage available to be sold to utilities.
Pace and other backers touted the proposal as a boost to the state’s new-energy economy that would help utility companies to meet the 30-percent renewable-energy minimum imposed by the Legislature this session that takes effect in 10 years.
The House passed the bill on a 39-26 vote. Among the Southern Colorado delegation, Pace and Reps. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, Wes McKinley, D-Walsh, and Ed Vigil, D-Fort Garland, voted in favor. Reps. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, and Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, voted against it.
Next, the bill faces a hearing in a Senate committee.
Posted in Local on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 12:00 am
http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/article_af2b03ae-51b9-11df-8781-001cc4c03286.html
