A western Colorado experiment in energy politics is working
- A Western Colorado energy summit series called Joint Organizations Leading Transition (JOLT) has moved through Craig, Montrose, Rifle and now Grand Junction over four years.
- JOLT began in Craig in 2023 after Colorado's coal transition hit that community in 2020, and it brings together coal workers, renewable developers, state officials, nuclear experts, Republicans and Democrats.
- This year's meeting was held at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, covering the changing utility sector, transmission constraints, local land use, permitting reform and new generation.
- The author, a clean energy advocate from Durango, argues JOLT's main accomplishment is a better way to work through the energy transition's tradeoffs.
Reported by
The Daily Sentinel
gjsentinel.com
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