News

The City of Boulder will host a conference call next week for residents and businesses to gather feedback on the  options related to Boulder’s Energy Future.

Business Conference Call – March 12
On Tuesday, March 12, the city invites everyone, specifically business community members, to dial-in to a free conference call that will focus on issues of reliability, financing and governance. From noon to 1 p.m., individials can listen in on a panel presentation that will include the following panelists:

• Heather Bailey – executive director of Energy Strategy and Electric Utility Development
  • Ms. Bailey will provide an overview of the modeling the city has conducted to date and key findings, especially those related to rates and reliability
• Michael Berwanger – managing director of The PFM Group
  • Mr. Berwanger will share his perspective on the financial assumptions the city used in its modeling and outline key steps and factors in process for seeking financing related to the possible creation of a city electric utility
• Bob Lachenmayer – Schneider Electric
  • Mr. Lachenmayer will explain how the city’s proposed service area plan helps maintain existing reliability and discuss possible enhanced reliability opportunities for businesses by utilities that are able to make innovation and unique customer needs priorities within their business model
• Jeff Tarbert, senior vice president of American Public Power Association
  • Dr. Tarbert will discuss how public power utilities across the US handle governance and customer participation. He will outline best practices and share his thoughts about some of the key factors that need to be considered when determining how important utility decisions will be made.

Each panelist will give a short presentation, which will be followed by a question and answer session with conference call participants. People interested in joining the call should pre-register at www.BoulderColorado.gov/energyfuture/businesscall. The limit is 300 participants.

Community Open House – March 13

All potential customers of a city-operated electric utility are invited to attend an open house from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., on Wednesday, March 13, at the West Boulder Senior Center, 909 W. Arapahoe Ave.

At the event, the city will have stations set up, staffed by the Energy Future Project team, for individuals to learn more and ask questions about a variety of topics, including:

• Six options modeled by the city as part of its recent analysis
• How a potential utility would be governed
• The recently created technically optimal service area map and its impact on reliability
• What the “Electric Utility of the Future” might look like
• The status of partnership discussions with Xcel Energy

In addition, participants will be given an opportunity to rank a variety of feedback statements that most represent what excites them and/or concerns them about the possible creation of a city utility. These results will be shared with City Council in advance of council’s next decision on April 16.

In order to help potential attendees, the city is preparing a short video to explain the options and address other issues related to this initiative. The video will be available on at www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com by Tuesday, March 12, and will also be shown at the open house.

Individuals are welcome to come to the open house at any point during the two-hour period that is most convenient for them.

Other Feedback Opportunities
There are several additional ways for the public to share input on the options and the city’s ongoing work in this area:

• Visit www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com and use the comment form provided
• Send an email to energyfuture@bouldercolorado.gov
• Visit www.InspireBoulder.com, the city’s community collaboration tool, where the team is featuring each option over the coming weeks in hopes of starting an online dialogue.

Interested community groups are also encouraged to contact the city to schedule a presentation at one of their own established events. Send an email to energyfuture@bouldercolorado.gov to request a presentation/guest speaker.

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