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Pueblo commissioners spar over PUC filing and future of Comanche plants
Summary
Public commenters and commissioners clashed over a county filing to the Public Utilities Commission and the future of Comanche units 2 and 3, with residents urging renewable energy and at least one commissioner defending efforts to seek federal help to preserve local jobs and tax revenue.
Velma Campbell, a Pueblo medical doctor, urged the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 4 to withdraw a recent filing to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and adopt a resolution promoting renewable energy, saying coal emissions harm local respiratory and cardiovascular health. "Pueblo already has higher than the state average in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and coronary artery disease," Campbell said, and she asked commissioners to "repudiate and withdraw the filing to the PUC" regarding near-term procurement.
Commissioners responded with sharply different views about both the substance of the filing and the process that produced it. One commissioner said the filed language had not been presented to the full board and called that a "massive, procedural error." Another commissioner defended the decision to press federal officials for help and said they had been part of the conversation and supported the filing, arguing the county must protect jobs and a tax base tied to Comanche units 2 and 3. "We need as much help as we can get," that commissioner said, adding they would support keeping coal, switching to natural gas or pursuing new nuclear if it protects the community's economy.
The disagreement centered on whether board members had seen or approved the exact text submitted by outside counsel. One commissioner asked whether a third-party attorney could submit "whatever they want" on behalf of the board without the members seeing the precise language. The other replied that the attorney had discussed the language with the board and that differences in perception explained the dispute.
The county manager and other speakers also framed the issue as part of a broader failure of state-level processes: several speakers said Pueblo has not been adequately heard in PUC deliberations and expressed frustration that the Just Transition process yielded "just nothing" rather than a plan that replaces lost tax revenue and jobs. Commissioners emphasized they are trying to preserve revenue that funds local services and schools while weighing competing community concerns about health and environmental impacts.
The board did not take a formal new vote on the PUC filing during the meeting. Several commissioners said they would continue to press for solutions for Pueblo — including federal outreach — and to scrutinize any future filings to ensure the board understands the exact language submitted on behalf of the county.
