(PUEBLO, Colo.)—Pueblo leaders and advocates are gearing up to face the closure of the coal-fired Comanche Unit 3 power plant and are launching a special coalition.
The formation of Cleaner Coal Communities Coalition (C4) seeks to stem the potential loss of tens of millions of dollars.
C4 follows a more than 10-month-long process through the Pueblo Innovative Energy Study Advisory Committee (PIESAC), which issued a report highlighting the economic impact of the early closure of Comanche Unit 3 by 2031. Depending on the scenario, the report states Pueblo County’s disposable personal income could lose close to $1 billion.
In 2022, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved Excel Energy’s agreement to close the plant by Jan. 1, 2031, nine years ahead of the original retirement date and 39 years before its scheduled end of service. Pueblo County leaders had previously stated the plant would begin reducing its operations in 2025.
The combined closure of Pueblo’s coal-fired plants would result in a loss of $31 million per year in tax revenue, totaling over $1 million in forgone tax revenues over 39 years. The closure would also eliminate 100 direct jobs, and 400 indirect jobs, which would result in almost $200 million in lost economic activity.
“Pueblo County has sacrificed more than any other county in Colorado to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing about 20% of the state’s total reduction,” said Sara Blackhurst, CEO of Action Colorado. “We cannot sit idly by and let the Comanche Power Plant closure drain our community. Now is time for coal communities like Pueblo to demand a Just Transition that ensures our economic future,” she added.
C4’s mission ensures “that transitioning coal communities are no worse off with the closure of coal facilities and are able to replace the coal generation and the lost tax-base with high-paying and highly skilled jobs so that coal communities have an opportunity to prosper, grow, and reimagine their local economies.”
“This effort will support Pueblo in taking advantage of its unique position to benefit from the energy transition with its strategic assets, including educational and workforce institutions, established rail and transmission connections, and a vibrant community,” said Founding Board Member and CEO of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation Jeff Shaw.
