ABOUT US
Vision
COCES envisions a Colorado that is powered by clean, reliable energy sources at the lowest cost to consumers, free from government mandates and special interest influence.
Mission
To be the most influential voice for Colorado ratepayers who support clean, reliable, least-cost power so Colorado families and businesses continue to thrive in the future.
Purpose
Energy is now the driving force shaping our economic landscape. COCES champions a people-first policy agenda that advances Colorado’s energy future while ensuring cost-effectiveness and unwavering reliability for all. COCES aims to foster a culture where prosperity and environmental well-being go hand in hand to benefit every Coloradan.
We don’t have an energy crisis. We don’t have a grid crisis. We have a policy crisis. Colorado’s landscape is a rich and complex tapestry of Rocky Mountains that define its western skyline to the expansive high desert plains stretching out towards the horizon. The state’s diverse geography, which includes arid deserts, river canyons, and the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, offers an array of natural wonders. These landscapes not only provide a stunning backdrop for outdoor enthusiasts but also a bounty of natural resources that have long supported the state’s economy.
Colorado has a fabled history of resource development and energy production. The state has been a traditional hub for oil and natural gas, as well as coal production. Early in the 21st century, the state put itself at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution with a first-in-the-nation voter-approved renewable energy mandate. The state government currently has a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2040.
The state is in a precarious position with its current energy policy trajectory. State leaders are out of step with Colorado voters and grid reliability. Even though 84 percent of likely voters say grid reliability is “very important” and 79 percent say “affordability” is “very important,” elected officials have not done enough to address these issues. Instead, their focus has been on shutting down the state’s most reliable power plants and replacing them with wind and solar facilities at ratepayer expense. The good news is we can have the least-cost, reliable power that also protects the environment, but we must change policy course.
Colorado doesn’t have an energy crisis. It doesn’t have a grid crisis. It has a policy crisis. Thanks to bad policy, the state continues to shut down baseload power plants and replace them with weather-dependent sources like wind and solar that cannot reliably power the grid on their own. As a result, our economy and way of life are threatened by a future of rolling blackouts and skyrocketing utility bills.
It doesn’t have to be this way. That’s where COCES comes in. We exist to power the policy pathway to clean, reliable, least-cost electricity so every Coloradan has an opportunity to thrive.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sounds the alarm as reported by Utility Dive
In a rare show of bipartisan, unanimous opinion, members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sounded the alarm about the U.S. power grid’s reliability at a Senate hearing, referencing a “looming reliability crisis.” Key issues include the rapid retirement of power plants outpacing the introduction of new capacity, faulty capacity markets, perverse incentives for weather-dependent sources that undermine baseload power economics, and a lack of gas pipelines, as highlighted during Winter Storm Elliott when gas-fired plants failed due to fuel shortages.