This story was originally published by Canary Media.

California has long led the way on electric vehicles, but another Western state is challenging the Golden State’s top spot.

Between July and September, nearly 25 percent of the vehicles registered in Colorado were electric or plug-in hybrids. In California, that figure was just over 24 percent. It’s not enough to crown Colorado the new undisputed leader in EVs, but it’s a notable milestone — no other state has ever surpassed California in terms of EV registrations, according to James Di Filippo, principal policy analyst at Atlas Public Policy.

It’s the culmination of a ​“pretty dramatic” trend line for Colorado’s EV adoption since the start of 2023, Di Filippo said. Coloradans bought just over 41,000 EVs last year, up from roughly 23,000 in 2022.

Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, announced the accomplishment last week, touting it as a sign of the state’s commitment to reaching its climate goals and improving air quality. ​“This new data shows that demand for EVs continues to increase and especially with competitive state and federal rebates, drastically cutting the cost of an EV and saving people money,” Polis said in a press release.

Colorado has some of the most generous incentives for EV sales in the country, Di Filippo said. Its policies and incentives have helped make the cars more affordable, while the state’s investments in charging infrastructure have made owning an electric car more practical.

All Coloradans can receive a $5,000 state tax credit for purchasing or leasing a new EV or plug-in hybrid priced up to $80,000. That credit is available through the end of this year, then will decrease to $3,500 starting in 2025. EVs valued under $35,000 are eligible for an additional tax credit of $2,500 — for a total potential state credit of $7,500.

Through the Vehicle Exchange Colorado program, income-qualified residents can trade in old or highly polluting gas cars in exchange for a $6,000 rebate to put toward a new EV or plug-in hybrid purchase or lease, or $4,000 for a used one.

The state tax credits and the vehicle-exchange rebates can be combined with federal tax credits, which currently offer up to $7,500 for a new EV lease or purchase or $4,000 for a used EV.

The state has also worked over the past few years to install more public chargers. There are currently over 5,500 public charging ports across Colorado. This year, the state plans to install another 576 ports using $5 million in funding from the Colorado Energy Office.

In 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that 580,000 zero-emission vehicles would be sold in the U.S. in 2023. But actual sales last year were almost two and a half times greater at 1.43 million. This year, Cox Automotive expects sales to climb even higher, despite gloomy forecasts issued by some analysts earlier in 2024.

According to estimates from Kelley Blue Book, EV sales made up 8.9 percent of all vehicle sales in the country in the third quarter of this year — the highest share ever recorded, and an increase from 7.8 percent in the same time period last year.

The Biden administration set a goal for EVs to make up half of all new vehicle sales by 2030. As of this February, sales were on track to meet that goal, though the picture is more uncertain heading into the second Trump administration. The president-elect reportedly plans to eliminate federal EV tax credits and roll back Environmental Protection Agency tailpipe emissions rules — against the wishes of the nation’s largest automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.

Transportation is the single largest category of carbon emissions in the country, at 28 percent, driven mainly by trucks, SUVs, and other road vehicles.

Colorado has an even more aggressive EV goal than the federal government, aiming for 82 percent of all car sales to be electric by 2032. Looking ahead, EV registrations and sales in the state likely won’t continue to outpace California, Di Filippo said, since ​“the trend line for California is still steeper overall.”

“This isn’t necessarily a story of Colorado just beating California out right,” he said. ​“This is really a story of EV success.” 

Which state is rivaling California on EV leadership? Colorado is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

DENVER, Colo. -EverDriven, the leading Alternative Student Transportation provider dedicated to serving students with disabilities and special needs, is rolling out a Giving Tuesday initiative to support Special Olympics Colorado, earmarking $1 for every mile driven in Colorado on December 3. With EverDriven traveling an average of approximately 12,000 miles daily in Colorado, the initiative is expected to generate approximately $12,000 in donations, directly benefiting programs that empower individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Building on its commitment to drive positive change in its local community, EverDriven is also dedicating 720 hours of employee volunteer service to Special Olympics Colorado programs, with every regional team member contributing eight hours of their time. Combining charitable contributions with hands-on involvement, EverDriven regularly demonstrates its passion for going the extra mile for the students and families it serves, particularly those with special needs.

“This support from EverDriven ensures our athletes can continue to thrive on and off the field,” said Megan Scremin, CEO of Special Olympics Colorado. “These donations and helping hands will go a long way in helping us create meaningful experiences for Coloradans with intellectual disabilities and strengthen inclusion in communities across Colorado.”

Special Olympics Colorado is dedicated to fostering inclusion, breaking down barriers, and creating opportunities through sports and health initiatives. By tying donations to miles driven and encouraging hands-on involvement from employees, EverDriven is helping to advance these goals while also spotlighting the importance of transportation on equity.

“Transportation is more than just moving people from one place to another,” said Mitch Bowling, CEO of EverDriven. “This Giving Tuesday initiative reflects our commitment to using transportation and technology as a force for good. We’re honored to partner with Special Olympics Colorado and support the incredible work they do in our Colorado community.”

To learn more about EverDriven and the technology solutions it provides to districts, students, parents, and school staff, visit EverDriven. To support, visit Special Olympics Colorado.

About EverDriven:
With nearly 700 school district contracts and over 28,000 students served last year alone, EverDriven has established itself as a nationwide leader in safety and technology-enabled Alternative Student Transportation. Leveraging proprietary routing technology and customized transportation services, the company has been instrumental in addressing driver shortages, helping reduce chronic absenteeism, accommodating varying bell times, and serving unique student needs related to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, special needs, ESSA, hard to serve trips, and out of district placements. For more information, visit EverDriven.

The post EverDriven Launches Giving Tuesday Initiative Earmarking $1 per Mile Driven on December 3 to Benefit Special Olympics Colorado appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Colorado school bus driver was dismissed after he allegedly abandoned 40 elementary school students at the wrong bus stop in cold weather, reported NBC News.

According to the news report, the bus driver, identified as Irving Johnson, allegedly left the young students from Clear Sky Elementary School in Castle Rock about 30 miles south of Denver, in tears and seeking aid from strangers.

The Douglas County School District said via the article that Johnson was a substitute driver who failed to follow proper protocols.

Johnson reportedly skipped students’ drop-off stops while on the road and ultimately drove near the corner of East Wolfensberger Road and Auburn Drive, about two miles from the school. There, he allegedly told the kids to get off the bus into the cold around 5 p.m.

The school district reportedly sent an apology email on Wednesday to the families of the students on the bus and confirmed the driver was no longer employed by the district.

The driver shared an apology via the article and stated that he was unfamiliar with the route and his tablet had stopped working so he asked the kids for directions. When asked if he felt like he did his job of keeping the kids safe, Johnson said “No, I don’t.”

The district stated that parents have requested to see video footage from the bus during the incident; however, the footage will not be released as an active investigation with the Castle Rock Police Department is ongoing.

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DENVER, Colo. – EverDriven, the leader in Alternative Student Transportation, has unveiled its most robust suite of visibility-enhancing tools with the nationwide rollout of the EverDriven Camera Solution. This cutting-edge technology, alongside the newly upgraded VIP app, forms a comprehensive solution designed to increase transparency for all stakeholders. Together, the EverDriven Camera Solution, VIP app for parents and school staff, and the innovative District Portal, solidify EverDriven’s commitment to advancing visibility in student transportation.

“Visibility and safety go hand-in-hand in terms of student transportation,” says CEO of EverDriven, Mitch Bowling. “In building and expanding these offerings, our team at EverDriven is setting a new standard for accountability in our industry. As the largest Alternative Student Transportation company in the country with operations in 33 states, we are committed to continually raising the bar because all students deserve a safe, secure, and reliable ride to school.”

With the largest cloud storage capacity in the industry, the EverDriven Camera Solution securely stores high-resolution recordings for 30 days. Enabling extended access to audio and video of the interior of the vehicle, as well as exterior dashboard footage of surroundings, the camera offering provides a comprehensive picture of each trip. All recordings are password-protected, encrypted, and accessible only to authorized personnel, ensuring maximum data protection, confidentiality, and secure review of footage while upholding student privacy.

“As a district that values student safety above all, the EverDriven Camera Solution is a game-changer for us,” says Trace Tolby, Student Transportation Director at Gilbert Public Schools. “It ensures the safety and accountability of every ride. The transparency it provides has strengthened our relationship with EverDriven and they’ll be driving more students for us as a result.”

Earlier this summer, EverDriven launched a first-of-its-kind solution to provide visibility to school staff including approved teachers and teacher’s aids. The upleveled VIP app delivers driver information, estimated arrival times, and trip updates via GPS technology, with geofenced staff access limited to school grounds to protect sensitive student data while streamlining the pick-up and drop-off process. Prior to this upgrade, EverDriven VIP was exclusively available to parents and guardians. EverDriven is the first provider to offer double-sided transparency, increasing safety on all stakeholder fronts.

EverDriven also empowers school districts to effectively outsource student transportation through its innovative District Portal online, offering customized options to improve service quality, simplify operations and round out transparency.

To learn more about EverDriven and the technology solutions it provides to districts, students, parents/guardians, and school staff, visit https://www.everdriven.com/technology/.

About EverDriven:
EverDriven is the leader in Alternative Student Transportation for school districts nationwide. With nearly 700 school district contracts and over 28,000 students served last year alone, EverDriven has established itself as a nationwide leader in safety and technology-enabled Alternative Student Transportation. Leveraging proprietary routing technology and customized transportation services, the company has been instrumental in addressing driver shortages, helping reduce chronic absenteeism, accommodating varying bell times, and serving unique student needs related to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, special needs, ESSA, hard-to-serve trips, and out-of-district placements. For more information, visit everdriven.com.

The post EverDriven Unveils Most Advanced Suite of Visibility Solutions with Latest Camera Launch appeared first on School Transportation News.

DENVER GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — EverDriven, the leader in Alternative Student Transportation, announced today the addition of Bridgette Brinkmann as Chief People Officer. Brinkmann leads the company’s human capital strategy, overseeing talent for a nationally distributed and growing team as well as initiatives related to culture, engagement, learning and development, environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and regulatory and compliance efforts.

“We’re thrilled and proud to welcome Bridgette to the EverDriven team,” said Mitch Bowling, CEO of EverDriven. “Not only does Bridgette contribute her impressive experience leading teams for some of the world’s biggest companies, but she also brings the intangibles – the heart, the connection with people, and the intrinsic motivation to help us on our mission to serve all students and empower their education.”

Brinkmann has a proven track record of translating a company’s mission and values into a meaningful employee experience, resulting in sustainable business outcomes. With extensive experience at purpose-driven companies such as Pfizer, Danone, Vail Resorts, and the hyper-growth startup Meati, Brinkmann is well-equipped to support EverDriven’s growth while prioritizing its mission. At Pfizer, Danone, and Vail Resorts, she focused on leading change, cultivating high-performing teams, and building organizational culture. At Meati, she played a pivotal role in expanding the startup’s retail footprint to 7,000 stores, demonstrating her ability to drive business growth while nurturing talent.

“What attracted me to EverDriven is the potential to have a differentiated impact on people’s lives,” said Brinkmann. “While I love to grow businesses and teams, I love it so much more when we can change the world for the better. I am excited to be part of a high-performing team that strives every day to build a better business and positively impact our communities.”

In her role, Brinkmann will prioritize the evolution of EverDriven’s culture to support expansion and growth, identifying and recruiting mission-driven talent who are eager to contribute to building an industry-leading organization.

The post EverDriven Welcomes Bridgette Brinkmann as Chief People Officer appeared first on School Transportation News.

A school bus at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus in Colorado has been transformed into a culinary program classroom.

According to the school district, the Campus CrEATions program launched this month. The bus was donated to the district, and the Tuchman Family Foundation that supports K-12 innovation donated $110,000 to remove the seats and replace them with all food truck essentials. The result was a full conversion it into a commercial kitchen on four wheels.

According to local news reports, the students cook up and serve breakfast and lunch to their classmates, teachers and others every day. They charge $5 to $6 for each meal and work in an assembly line to put the orders together. The aim of this experience is to teach students real world skills.

The creation is the work of Mile High Custom Food Trucks. The company detailed the school bus’ transformation to food truck with a video on its YouTube channel. Viewers are introduced to the bus’ equipment list, which includes a 100-pound propane tank for operating a 48-inch grill and twin burner stove, a 12-foot Type 1 NSF approved hood with speed control, and a 12,000-watt Cummins diesel generator connected to the bus fuel tank.

The generator is connected to the diesel line tank. Additionally, the cooking equipment is propane, it has a water inlet to connect a hose and get fresh water, along with LED lights on the inside and outside of the bus.

Additional equipment include, stainless steel cooking wall and throughout, aluminum diamond plate floor, twin fan exhaust system, twin 6-foot service windows with awning door, self closing doors with bug screen, fire suppression, three compartment sink, 20-gallon water heater, 40-gallon fresh water tank mounted under the truck that can be filled easily, 50-gallon water tank mounted under the bus, chef base, two pan steam table, 48-inch sandwich prep, 24-inch stand up refrigerator, and a 24-inch stand up freezer.

The district is reportedly planning to take the food bus to an event called STEAM-a-Palooza on Sept. 28 and then to high school football games.

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The post Colorado School Bus Gives Students Experience in the Food Industry appeared first on School Transportation News.

The Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, leaves the stage after speaking during a campaign rally at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 18, 2024 in Uniondale, New York. Trump held his first rally after Saturday’s apparent assassination attempt, the second one in two months after being injured at a rally in Butler, Penn. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will depart from the presidential swing-state map with visits to Ohio and Colorado in the coming weeks to continue to promote debunked viral stories smearing immigrant communities in those states.

At a Wednesday evening rally in New York, Trump said he would visit Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado, towns that he and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, have singled out as being harmed by immigration.

Trump falsely claimed during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that Haitian migrants in Springfield ate residents’ pets. Debate moderators corrected the statement, which has also been disputed by officials including the state’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. But Trump continues to cite the town to support his hardline immigration position.

Speaking to supporters in Uniondale, New York on Wednesday, he falsely claimed that migrants in the town were there illegally and said 32,000 arrived in a matter of weeks.

Estimates from official sources based on government data range from 12,000 to 20,000 Haitian arrivals since 2020. Most are in the country legally, with many given Temporary Protected Status that allows migrants from certain countries affected by violence and other circumstances to live in the United States.

Trump described Springfield and Aurora — where a separate viral rumor imagined Venezuelan gangs took over an apartment building —  as dangerous places, without evidence to support that claim, from which he might not escape.

“They’ve got to get much tougher,” he said of Springfield city leaders. “I’m going to Springfield and I’m going to Aurora. You may never see me again, but that’s OK. Gotta do what I gotta do. ‘Whatever happened to Trump?’ ‘Well, he never got out of Springfield.’”

Neither Ohio nor Colorado are among the seven competitive states that will decide the presidential election, but the stops would serve to highlight Trump’s focus on immigration as his core campaign issue.

Hispanic heritage

The Trump campaign framed immigration in a different way during a call with reporters Thursday morning celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

On the campaign call, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican whose parents emigrated from Cuba, said life was better for all Americans, including Hispanic Americans, during Trump’s presidency than under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.

Rubio focused on economic factors and fear of crime.

“That impacts everybody,” he said. “I think it has special meaning in the Hispanic American community because you have to understand that whether it was your parents, your grandparents or yourself, you came here because you wanted a better life. They weren’t happy with their life somewhere else. It was unsafe. You couldn’t get ahead. And so they came to the United States in hopes of fulfilling their dreams and their hopes for themselves and for their families.”

In a White House event for Hispanic Heritage Month Wednesday, Biden touted job numbers for Hispanic Americans, saying his administration oversaw the “lowest Hispanic unemployment rate on record.”

Biden criticized Republican rhetoric on immigration, celebrating the United States’ identity as “a nation of immigrants,” calling on Hispanic Americans to vote for Harris against Trump in November.

“This is the single most consequential election in maybe the lifetime of anyone standing here, because it matters,” he said. “The other team doesn’t see the world like we see it. They don’t have the same attitude we have. They are the most close-minded people I’ve ever dealt with.”

White dudes

A pro-Harris group representing a different demographic launched a $10 million ad campaign in battleground states Thursday.

White Dudes for Harris released a one-minute video ad, the first in the eight-figure campaign, targeting white male voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to a news release from the group.

White men vote more Republican than other groups, and have backed Trump by wide margins in his previous White House runs. His successful 2016 campaign won white men nationwide by a 62% to 32% margin, according to the Pew Research Center. Trump carried Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin by a combined 80,000 votes in 2016.

The ad opens by bemoaning that Trump had damaged white men’s reputation. A male narrator then compliments Harris’ and vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s approach.

“They’re actually talking to guys like us — no lectures, no BS,” the voiceover says. “Just real solutions that protect our freedoms and help us take care of the people who matter.”

Oprah and Adelson

The Harris campaign is scheduled to hold a virtual event with famed actress, producer and former talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Thursday evening.

Organizers expect the event to reach more than 200,000 people in real time, with additionally tens of millions likely to see clips shared afterward.

Trump is scheduled to appear with conservative megadonor Miriam Adelson in a Washington event titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America.” Adelson is Jewish and a vocal advocate of U.S. support for Israel.

Friday, Harris will campaign in Georgia and Wisconsin.

Trump is scheduled to hold a rally Saturday in North Carolina.

Polling snapshot

Polls published Wednesday and Thursday showed a mixed view of the race.

Harris and Trump were tied nationally at 47% in a New York Times/Sienna College poll that surveyed likely voters from Sept. 11 to Sept. 16. Harris led, though, in the key state of Pennsylvania, 50% to 46%, in the same poll.

A separate poll, conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, showed the Keystone State deadlocked at 49%.

Marist found Harris led by 1 point in Wisconsin, 50% to 49%, and by  5 points in Michigan, 52% to 47%.

Those states, along with Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, will likely decide the election.

Nebraska pushed to adopt winner-take-all

Two other races, though, could be competitive.

Maine and Nebraska both allocate two electoral votes to the winner of the state popular vote, and the rest by congressional district.

Purple districts in each state will likely go to the candidate who loses the state overall, though some Republicans are pushing  Nebraska to adopt a winner-take-all system.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen discussed the issue Wednesday with state senators, and the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation endorsed a winner-take-all approach in a Wednesday letter posted to X.

Nebraska’s statewide electoral votes are nearly certain to go to Trump, whose campaign has pressured state officials to nix the current system.

Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.

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An Aurora Public Schools bus driver has been hailed as a hero after he safely evacuated 14 students from a burning school bus on Aug. 14, reported ABC 7 News.

According to the news report, the Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) crew were dispatched to a school bus fire near East 11th Ave., around 4 p.m.

At the scene, firefighters reportedly found 14 students safely evacuated by their school bus driver. The bus was “heavily engulfed in flames.” AFR stated via the article that the driver’s quick thinking and bravery had been instrumental in ensuring everyone’s safety.

The article states that the driver, whose name was not disclosed in this writing, noticed the fire emerging through the dashboard. He proceeded to immediately pull over and helped the children get off the bus. The students were reportedly picked up by another bus and taken home.

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The post Colorado School Bus Driver Hailed Hero After Fire appeared first on School Transportation News.

This article was originally published by Colorado Newsline.

The state commission that regulates Colorado’s oil and gas industry this week adopted its first set of rules governing geothermal drilling, taking another step towards fulfilling the broader mandate it was given as part of a legislative makeover of the agency last year. But regulators and experts say not to expect a “boom” in the new technology just yet.

The Energy and Carbon Management Commission was formerly known as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission until lawmakers rebranded it in 2023. The name change that came with new authority to regulate emerging industries like carbon capture and so-called deep geothermal energy.

ECMC adopted its Deep Geothermal Operations rules on a unanimous 5-0 vote Monday. The 59-page addition to the agency’s rulebook outlines permitting and enforcement procedures broadly similar to those already in place for oil and gas operations, giving the commission the power to approve or deny permits to protect health and safety and ensuring that local governments have a say in the process.

While existing technologies like heat pumps involve drilling geothermal wells hundreds of feet into the ground to heat and cool homes and even entire neighborhoods, the deep geothermal industry aims to help power the electric grid by drilling thousands of feet down into much hotter pockets of the Earth’s crust. To date, the application of deep geothermal technology has been limited by a variety of factors, but some experts point to its potential to serve as a “baseload” source of clean energy to help offset the intermittency of renewables like wind and solar.

Gov. Jared Polis, who has touted geothermal energy’s potential in his “Heat Beneath Our Feet” initiative, said in a statement Monday that with the ECMC’s new rules, the state is “poised to leverage this clean, renewable energy resource.”

“Colorado has incredible low-cost renewable energy resources like geothermal that can help reduce emissions and save Coloradans money,” Polis said. “Geothermal energy can play an integral role in powering the way Coloradans live, work and play, and will help future generations.”

The feasibility of tapping into deep geothermal resources can vary widely according to local geology. A study released last month by the ECMC, the Colorado Geological Survey and Atlanta-based energy firm Teverra analyzed “geothermal utilization opportunities” and found that the Piceance Basin north of Grand Junction, the Raton Basin near Trinidad and a “localized hot spot” along the Colorado-Kansas border rank as the state’s most promising locations.

Colorado Communities for Climate Action, a coalition of 43 local governments supportive of clean energy policies, said the rules adopted by the ECMC struck an “impressive balance.”

“Local governments are optimistic about the role of deep geothermal electricity in efficiently decarbonizing Colorado’s power grid,” Emma Pinter, an Adams County commissioner and vice president of Colorado Communities for Climate Action, said in a statement. “But we have to make sure this new technology benefits all Coloradans and their environment while avoiding the damage we have seen from oil and gas development and other extractive industries.”

“Despite its promise as a clean energy source, (deep geothermal operations) will have some adverse impacts, although we don’t yet know the scope of them, and it’s important to recognize that,” Kate Burke, an assistant county attorney for Boulder County, told commissioners in a rulemaking hearing last week. “The net impacts … should be less than oil and gas, and in some instances, the scale may be smaller, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be impacts to the people, plants and animals living near the facilities.”

Geothermal Rising, a trade group representing geothermal energy companies, was “very satisfied with where the draft rules have landed,” an attorney for the group, Matt Lepore, told commissioners Monday. Lepore is a former chair of the agency who departed in 2018 and has gone on to represent the oil and gas industry in commission proceedings.

Environmental groups have urged the ECMC to follow up with a second geothermal rulemaking process to flesh out its regulations before operations ramp up. Commissioner Brett Ackerman, a former Colorado Parks and Wildlife official, said prior to Monday’s vote that it was important not to “hamper industry” at an early stage, but the agency should “appropriately address future concerns and opportunities as they arise.”

“I agree that it’s highly unlikely that there’s any pending boom of deep geothermal development,” Ackerman said. “We’re rather more at a pilot stage.”

Colorado oil and gas regulators adopt ‘deep geothermal’ drilling rules is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

This article was originally published by Canary Media.

A hefty chunk of U.S. emissions comes from the energy used to heat buildings. That means millions of homes must be converted to electric heating in order to meet climate targets. 

In Colorado, a 2021 law spurred the state’s largest investor-owned utility to produce a plan that could transition a lot of homes to clean heating — and fast.

Xcel Energy’s Clean Heat Plan was approved this May. It directs more than $440 million over the next three years mainly to electrification and energy-efficiency measures that are meant to reduce reliance on the gas system and cut annual emissions by 725,000 tons.

The utility, which provides both gas and electricity to its customers, filed an initial plan that included proposals to spend heavily on hydrogen blending, biomethane, and certified natural gas. But after strong opposition from clean energy advocates who say these routes do not represent viable pathways to decarbonization, those proposals were reevaluated. Following a motion filed by the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, and others last November, Xcel amended its original plan filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

Now the majority of funds will go toward building electrification and energy efficiency, which the commission found to be the ​“most cost effective and scalable ways to reduce emissions from burning gas and buildings, both in the short run as well as in the long term,” said Meera Fickling, building decarbonization manager at Western Resource Advocates.

Electrification efforts will primarily take the form of incentives that make it cheaper for customers to switch gas heating appliances to electric heat pumps. The incentives can be combined with federal electrification tax credits and extend to all-electric new construction as well. One-fifth of the program’s funding is earmarked for low-income customers. The plan’s funding is roughly three times the $140 million that the Inflation Reduction Act allocated to Colorado for similar measures.

The utility forecasts gas sales to decline by 14 percent between this year and 2028, The Colorado Sun reports.

While many states have incentives and rebates available for upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and heating solutions, Colorado specifically directs its gas utilities to lead those programs — and holds them accountable for contributing to the state’s climate goals.

That’s why Xcel’s new clean heat program will be ​“a test case of a utility-led model towards decarbonizing the gas distribution system,” Fickling said. ​“It really serves as a model — a nationwide model — for how gas utilities can allocate resources to decarbonize their system in the long term.”

From state laws to utility plans 

Colorado’s push to clean up home heating started three years ago with the Clean Heat Law, which requires gas distribution utilities to create concrete plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 4 percent below 2015 levels by 2025 and 22 percent by 2030. Xcel’s recently approved Clean Heat Plan will carry the utility through 2027, and the utility must propose a new plan in the coming years to meet the next target.

“I expect the next plan to really take a close look at the 2030 target and the trajectory to achieve it,” said Jack Ihle, regional vice president of regulatory policy at Xcel.

The Clean Heat Law was the first of its kind in any state, Fickling said, though others have since taken steps to curtail the climate impact of heating.

Following Colorado’s 2021 law, in 2023 Vermont passed the Affordable Heat Act to reduce emissions from home heating, and Massachusetts drafted similar legislation. This year, Illinois and New Jersey have both introduced bills with clean heating and decarbonization standards.

In Minnesota, the state’s largest gas utility just received approval for a five-year, $106 million plan to reduce its emissions following the state’s 2021 Natural Gas Innovation Act. The utility, CenterPoint Energy, says the plan would ​“reduce or avoid an estimated 1.2 million tons of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the projects,” though advocates have criticized the approach.

But utilities in Colorado ​“have a lot more flexibility in terms of the portfolio that they propose,” said Joe Dammel, manager of carbon-free buildings at RMI. While Xcel can prioritize energy efficiency and electrification in Colorado, Minnesota’s Natural Gas Innovation Act requires gas utilities to produce emissions-reduction plans that spend at least half of their budgets on alternative fuels like renewable natural gas, which can still heavily pollute. In Colorado, a much smaller amount is dedicated to alternative fuels; only around $10 million out of the $440 million can be spent on renewable natural gas and recovered methane, and all projects must specifically be approved by the commission.

Another difference between the two recently approved plans is that Xcel delivers gas and electricity to about 1.5 million customers in Colorado, which gives it an opportunity to counterbalance lost gas revenue with increased sales from its electricity business. 

Meanwhile, CenterPoint serves gas to about 910,000 customers but has no electricity customers. That gives it fewer opportunities to make up for losses from its gas business driven by electrification mandates, and more incentive to prioritize the use of alternative fuels delivered through the pipelines it owns — and not electrification.

Investing in 100,000 heat pumps 

Now that the funds have been approved, Xcel is waiting on a final written order from regulators, which should arrive later this month. From there, it will start implementing the plan and work on defining rebate levels and informing customers on how to access incentives.

The details are still being decided, but customers will likely need to pay first and then get reimbursed later, as is the case for many current rebate programs, said Emmett Romine, vice president of energy and transportation solutions at Xcel. Customers would also get higher rebates if they choose more advanced technologies, like high-efficiency cold-climate heat pumps.

Beyond educating customers, the company is putting workforce-training plans together to ensure there are enough heat-pump installers ready to help customers convert. Xcel is also working with distributors and manufacturers ​“to make sure that there’s a supply chain that will come to Colorado when we stimulate demand,” Romine said.

The plan represents a significant step up from Xcel’s current pace of upgrades. ​“The goals are really aggressive,” Romine said. ​“When you look at the number of heat pumps and the number of water heaters we’ve got to contemplate getting into homes, it’s an enormous amount of work.” Currently, Xcel does around 10,000 rebates a year for traditional gas furnaces. Now, it’s aiming to do 20,000 heat-pump conversions this year and just under 100,000 total by the end of 2026, Romine said.

That supercharged effort won’t come without costs. Ratepayers will see electricity rates go up by 1.1 percent and gas rates rise by 7 percent over the next four years due to the plan. But advocates say it’s worth it to avoid pouring money into a gas system that must be phased out — and that the climate benefits outweigh the upfront costs. Even without the Clean Heat Plan, Xcel projected it would need to increase base rate revenue by 32 percent between 2023 and 2030, The Colorado Sun reported.

Colorado’s plan ​“is a very good example of needing to pursue both sides of the equation at the same time — decarbonization, electrification — but at the same time ensuring that we’re starting to shrink and eliminate unnecessary investments in the gas system,” said Alejandra Mejia Cunningham, senior manager of state buildings policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The Public Utilities Commission has encouraged Xcel to report its progress by 2026, ahead of the legally mandated schedule, Ihle said. Advocates will be watching closely to see how it all plays out.

“We’re gonna have to make sure that we’re seeing the results of that in terms of participation, customer satisfaction, and ultimately emissions and cost reductions,” Dammel said. ​“There’s going to be a lot of utilities across the country following this.” 

Xcel Colorado’s new clean heat plan is a big deal. Here’s why. is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.