Colorado activists want gas-fired electrical plants to stop spewing pollution over Denver – By Michael Booth (Colorado Sun) / Nov 16 2021
Neighbors and conservation groups seek earlier closure of Cherokee and Arapahoe power stations. They emit half the CO2 of coal, but are still among the largest polluters in the state.
Switching to natural gas from coal cut pollution at the Arapahoe and Cherokee electric generating stations nearly in half, but activists are now pushing for their early closure to speed the climate change battle and promote environmental justice.
The Sierra Club issued a report Tuesday in partnership with community groups asking why the massive smokestacks are scheduled to operate for decades even though Xcel Energy has pledged to generate electricity carbon-free by 2050.
They also point out Denver has pledged to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030, while some of the turbines at Xcel’s Cherokee plant in Adams County are scheduled to burn gas through 2055. Xcel’s contract to buy electricity from Arapahoe expires in 2023, but there is no indication yet whether Xcel will renew the deal or walk away from the south Denver plant.
The Sierra Club report calls on state regulators to seek closure of the two gas-fired plants by at least 2030, helping to fulfill state laws requiring 50% greenhouse gas cuts from 2005 levels by that year. The report details ongoing annual pollution at the sites: 2 million tons of climate change-contributing CO2, more than 1 million pounds of asthma-inducing nitrogen oxide, and more than 20,000 pounds of the respiratory irritant sulfur dioxide.
