Xcel to Close Down Power Plants?

In a bold move, Xcel Energy says that it plans to shut down some of its power plants here in Colorado. The reason? To curb global warming and, hopefully, help make Colorado's air cleaner and safer.

Although we have yet to see whether Xcel will follow through with its plans, or what power plants the company intends to shut down, the news is, to say the least, great.

And the news comes both as Governor Ritter has called for a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide from Xcel's power plants, and as groups like Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action are calling for Xcel to cut smog forming pollution from its Denver metro power plants.

Hopefully, Xcel plans to kill two birds with one stone and shut down some of its Denver metro power plants. We would urge the company to target the Cherokee Station, a massive coal burning power plant that releases 119 pounds of mercury, 16,000 pounds of hydrochloric acid, 47 pounds of lead, and over 21,000,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, which form smog, acid rain, fine particle pollution, and haze.

Xcel intends to reveal the full details of its plans on Friday, when it presents its Resource Plan to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.