COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Community members from across the Pikes Peak region threw a retirement party for the Ray Nixon Power Plant on Tuesday to urge Colorado Springs Utilities to close the area's last coal-burning facility by the end of 2029.
The event took place at OCC Brewery and was organized by Sierra Club Colorado in partnership with groups including 350 Colorado Springs and Indivisible.
Colorado Springs Utilities committed to closing the plant by 2029 as part of its 2020 Clean Energy Plan. However, the public utility is now seeking legislation that would allow it to delay its emissions reduction deadline past 2030.
"They promised to do this back in 2020, so this has been the expectation for the past six years and now that Colorado Springs Utilities is kind of switching it up on us, we're upset."
Organizers argue that delaying the closure harms public health and the environment, citing carbon dioxide emissions and pollutants that affect asthma rates. They also note that generating electricity from coal is more expensive long-term than using renewable energy.
"We just want to show that our community does care about clean energy and that this is also what we want our utility company to be providing for us," West said.
Since mid-January, organizers have collected over 1,000 petition signatures and more than 30 sign-ups from local businesses supporting clean energy. On April 1, organizers plan to present the petition and the signed retirement card to Colorado Springs Utilities.
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This southeast Colorado reservoir completely dried out, taking away one of the best recreation spots
All that’s left of the Two Buttes Reservoir is a scattering of lifeless buoys, a rusty lawn chair, empty beer cans, and a number of fishing lures that have fallen into the water over the years.
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