Mark Jaffe
- Energy Writer, Freelance
- Chief Ethics, Compliance and Privacy Officer, Rivian
- Energy Writer, The Colorado Sun
Denver
Colorado Sun energy writer keeping on eye on the the sun, wind and what's below ground while hiking up peaks and skiing down slopes. Former Denver Postie
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Articles by Mark Jaffe
Colorado utility regulators to decide whether Xcel’s data center tariff proposal protects customers
A battle over protecting the electric bills of Xcel Energy residential and small business customers from the costs of burgeoning data centers is set to begin Wednesday before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The PUC required Xcel Energy — the state’s largest electricity provider with 1.6 million customers — to develop a “large load tariff,” a set of requirements designed to protect retail customers from the cost of data centers and other high-demand electricity customers.
Colorado Ballet’s 20-year survival tale includes begging, borrowing and grit
Driving into Denver from the airport for a job interview with the Colorado Ballet, Sandra Brown looked at the flat, bleak winter landscape and said to her husband, Gil Boggs, “Please tell me it gets green in the spring.” “I have no idea,” said Boggs, who in January 2006 was the prime candidate to become the company’s artistic director. The two had been accomplished dancers with American Ballet Theater in New York City and were lifelong East Coasters.
Enmienda 82: Los votantes de Colorado decidirán si incluyen el derecho al gas natural en la Constitución estatal
Read in English | Traducido por Rossana Longo Better La Enmienda 82 añadiría el derecho al gas natural a la Constitución estatal en un momento en que Colorado impulsa, tanto mediante políticas como legislación, la reducción del uso de gas natural como parte del objetivo del estado de disminuir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero que alteran el clima.
Xcel outages are on the rise in Colorado, regulators say
If it seems that the lights are going out more frequently in the Xcel Energy service area, it isn’t your imagination: Outages in 2026 are running above historic averages, according to a Colorado Public Utilities Commission analysis. “In every single month of 2024, 2025 and the first half of 2026, customers have experienced an above-average number of outages,” Nick Bongiardina, a PUC staffer, told the commission during a Sept. 23 review of outages.
Amendment 82: Colorado voters will decide whether to put right natural gas in state constitution
Amendment 82 would add a right to natural gas in the state constitution at a time when Colorado is pushing both in policy and legislation to cut the use of natural gas as part of the state’s goal to reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. The measure was brought by Advance Colorado, a conservative political nonprofit that paid millions of dollars to collect voter signatures and get it on the ballot.
Xcel customers are being left in the dark by frequent outages, Colorado regulators say
If it seems that the lights are going out more frequently in the Xcel Energy service area, it isn’t your imagination: Outages in 2026 are running above historic averages, according to a Colorado Public Utilities Commission analysis. “In every single month of 2024, 2025 and the first half of 2026, customers have experienced an above-average number of outages,” Nick Bongiardina, a PUC staffer, told the commission during a Sept. 23 review of outages.
Cash from feds will spark $1.2B electric transmission project in eastern Colorado
Xcel Energy is embarking on a $1.2 billion transmission project — with $250 million in federal backing — to link its Colorado and Texas grids, opening the way to access electricity from Southwest Power Pool, one of the nation’s largest grid operators. The project would upgrade a tie-line line and increase the amount of electricity that it can carry to 700 megawatts from 210 MW, with the ability to expand to 2,000 MW with future upgrades.
Cash from feds will spark $1.2B electric transmission project in eastern Colorado
Xcel Energy is embarking on a $1.2 billion transmission project — with $250 million in federal backing — to link its Colorado and Texas grids, opening the way to access electricity from Southwest Power Pool, one of the nation’s largest grid operators. The project would upgrade a tie-line line and increase the amount of electricity that it can carry to 700 megawatts from 210 MW, with the ability to expand to 2,000 MW with future upgrades.
Coal-burning Comanche 3 power plant back in service after a year of repairs
The trouble-plagued Comanche 3 coal-fired power plant — the largest generating asset on Xcel Energy’s Colorado grid — is back online and generating electricity after a year of repairs. The unit broke down in August 2025.
Colorado watching closely after federal court tosses order to keep coal power plant running in Michigan
An emergency order to keep a Michigan coal-fired power plant running — the same as one blocking the closure of Craig Unit 1 in northwestern Colorado — was struck down Friday by a federal court, which said federal energy regulators overstepped their authority. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. ruled that the Trump administration did not have the authority to issue an emergency order to keep J.H Campbell Generating Plant, in West Olive, Michigan, running.
BLM ignored wildlife migration when it leased Colorado land for oil and gas drilling, lawsuit claims
BLM ignored wildlife migration when it leased Colorado land for oil and gas drilling, lawsuit claims
BLM ignored wildlife migration when it leased Colorado land for oil and gas drilling, lawsuit claims
Two environmental groups are suing to overturn the June federal oil and gas lease sales in Colorado and Wyoming, arguing the U.S. Bureau of Land management failed to take into account vital migration corridors for elk, pronghorn and mule deer.
Colorado faces a federal oil and gas leasing fire sale. One man on a Moffat County mountain is fighting back.
Colorado faces a federal oil and gas leasing fire sale. One man on a Moffat County mountain is fighting back.
Colorado faces a federal oil and gas leasing fire sale. One man on a Moffat County mountain is fighting back.
BAKER’S PEAK RANCH — From his bare-bones cabin on a little mountain thick with forests and laced with streams near the Wyoming border north of Craig, Joel Mayne is waging a one-man battle against the Trump administration’s push to sell oil and gas leases.
Xcel’s move to get a quick decision in dispute over power line path rebuffed by Colorado Supreme Court
Xcel’s move to get a quick decision in dispute over power line path rebuffed by Colorado Supreme Court
Xcel’s move to get a quick decision in dispute over power line path rebuffed by Colorado Supreme Court
Xcel Energy’s bid to have the state Supreme Court weigh in on a dispute with a Cheyenne County landowner over a 550-foot right of way to connect wind farms to the Goose Creek substation was rejected by the court Monday. In a brief unanimous decision, the court denied the utility’s attempt to have the state’s highest court overturn a Cheyenne County district judge’s ruling that Xcel Energy did not have the power to use eminent domain to acquire the right of way.
Xcel’s move to get a quick decision in dispute over power line path rebuffed by Colorado Supreme Court
1 day ago The court said the measure, which required energy companies to pay $75 billion to the state, conflicted with federal law. A federal judge struck down New York State’s new climate “superfund” law on Monday, ruling that it conflicted with federal law. The New York law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in …
BLM will offer parcels near Aurora Reservoir for oil and gas drilling
BLM will offer parcels near Aurora Reservoir for oil and gas drilling
BLM will offer parcels near Aurora Reservoir for oil and gas drilling
Planned oil and gas development near the Aurora Reservoir — which has been vigorously opposed by local residents — is poised to grow as the federal government will auction off 600 acres of mineral leases west of the reservoir. In its Sept. 8 auction, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is offering two parcels covering 600 acres adjacent to Colorado State Land Board property where Crestone Peak has been approved to develop 108 oil and gas wells.
A judge told Xcel it couldn’t condemn a farmer’s land. Now the utility is headed to the state Supreme Court.
CHEYENNE COUNTY — The future of clean energy generation in Colorado rests on the fate of a 550-foot right of way across an Eastern Plains farm — or at least that is the argument Xcel Energy is making in an unprecedented appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Colorado residential electric bills will rise $5 per month — about half what Xcel requested
Colorado residential electric bills will rise $5 per month — about half what Xcel requested
A judge told Xcel it couldn’t condemn a farmer’s land. Now the utility is headed to the state Supreme Court.
A judge told Xcel it couldn’t condemn a farmer’s land. Now the utility is headed to the state Supreme Court.
Colorado residential electric bills will rise $5 per month — about half what Xcel requested
Xcel Energy received approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday for a $157 million electricity rate increase that will raise the average residential bill by about $5 a month. The average residential bill for 601 kilowatt hours will rise to $109.92 a month from $104.91. When Xcel Energy originally filed the rate request in 2025 it said the average monthly bill was about $100.
A judge told Xcel it couldn’t condemn a farmer’s land. Now the utility is headed to the state Supreme Court.
CHEYENNE COUNTY — The future of clean energy generation in Colorado rests on the fate of a 550-foot right of way across an Eastern Plains farm — or at least that is the argument Xcel Energy is making in an unprecedented appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Op-Ed: Federal action to stop the scam epidemic
by Mark Jaffe, President & CEO of the Greater NY Chamber of Commerce Every day, Americans receive a steady stream of fraudulent text messages, fake invoices, bogus toll notices, phishing emails, romance schemes, and phone calls from criminals posing as banks, government agencies, or even family members. Too many of these attacks succeed.
Colorado regulators take swipe at Xcel Energy’s claims that increases aren’t that impactful
Colorado regulators take swipe at Xcel Energy’s claims that increases aren’t that impactful
Colorado regulators take swipe at Xcel Energy’s claims that increases aren’t that impactful
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission Wednesday took a swipe at how Xcel Energy argues its rates impact consumers’ wallets. Xcel Energy, the state’s largest electricity provider, maintains that its rates are affordable citing the fact that its 1.6 million customers on average pay less than 1% of their incomes — the share of wallet — for electricity. That, the company says, is half the national average.
Keeping coal plants open in Colorado could cost $87M, with consumers paying the tab
Colorado’s efforts to shut down its coal-fired power plants are being delayed by a shortfall in generation and a move by the Trump administration to keep old plants online. The cost to Colorado customers to continue running those coal-fired plants will be somewhere north of $87 million, although analysts and utility officials say that the exact price is still difficult to determine.
Keeping coal plants open in Colorado could cost $87M, with consumers paying the tab
Colorado’s efforts to shut down its coal-fired power plants are being delayed by a shortfall in generation and a move by the Trump administration to keep old plants online. The cost to Colorado customers to continue running those coal-fired plants will be somewhere north of $87 million, although analysts and utility officials say that the exact price is still difficult to determine.
New heat pump rebate aims to curb emissions in Colorado’s Front Range
A new $1,500 rebate to spur homes and businesses to install energy-saving heat pumps to cut building air emissions is being offered by the Denver Regional Council of Governments Power Ahead Colorado,, is offering the rebates for an energy efficient, cold-climate heat pump, which can replace both a home’s furnace and air conditioning. The $40 million, four-year initiative is part of Power Ahead Colorado’s goal reduce air emissions from the building sector.
Xcel rate hike may leave more people struggling to pay bills, even as the utility offers more aid to customers
Xcel Energy wants to raise a record $225 in million new revenues, in part by adding $6.15 a month to the average household electricity bill, an increase consumer advocates say more customers would struggle to pay. The warning signs, they say, are already there. “There is a trend of increasing disconnections for all customers,” according to a staff report to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
Xcel rate hike may leave more people struggling to pay bills, even as the utility offers more aid to customers
Xcel Energy wants to raise a record $225 in million new revenues, in part by adding $6.15 a month to the average household bill, but consumer advocates say an increasing number of customers would struggle to pay it. The warning signs, they say, are already there. “There is a trend of increasing disconnections for all customers,” according to a staff report to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
Regulators cut Colorado oil and gas firms’ fines to $2M after settlements
Six oil and gas operators will pay about $2 million in fines and contributions for public projects for — unknowingly — filing falsified data for toxic substances at 344 Front Range drill sites. But at least one state regulator, as well as residents protesting the agreements, said the oil and gas companies were being let off the hook because the fines were too low.
Colorado helium reserves got a bounce when war with Iran cut off 30% of the world’s supply
CHEYENNE WELLS — Colorado’s southeastern plains, still brown from winter and drought, are a long way from the Middle East, but when the Iran war bottled up exports from the Persian Gulf, a resource beneath those prairies became more valuable. It isn’t oil. It’s helium. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off 30% of the world’s helium supply from Qatar.
Roan Plateau parcels proposed for oil and gas lease sales, undoing protections for iconic western Colorado mesa; The proposed sale of leases covering 127,000 acres, including 5,000 acres on the plateau, is the result of federal legislation requiring quart
After nine years of protests and lawsuits, an agreement preserving the Roan Plateau in western Colorado from oil and gas development was reached in 2016. Now the Trump administration is poised to overturn that accord and open the plateau to drilling. Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposed 114 parcels covering 126,744 acres on the Western Slope for drilling, including six parcels covering 5,000 acres on the plateau. kAm%96 286?4J @A6?65 2 b_\52J A6C:@5 E@ 82E96C AF3=:4 :?AFE @?
Roan Plateau parcels proposed for oil and gas lease sales, undoing protections for iconic western Colorado mesa
After nine years of protests and lawsuits, an agreement preserving the Roan Plateau in western Colorado from oil and gas development was reached in 2016. Now the Trump administration is poised to overturn that accord and open the plateau to drilling. Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposed 114 parcels covering 126,744 acres on the Western Slope for drilling, including six parcels covering 5,000 acres on the plateau.
Xcel Energy customers may be hit with the largest electric rate increase ever
Xcel Energy, its corporate customers and unions are at odds with consumer advocates over a proposed settlement that would grant the utility the largest electric rate increase ever — $225 million. The proposed agreement between Xcel Energy and parties including the Colorado Public Utilities Commission staff, the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers, Walmart and Climax Molybdenum would raise the average household bill by $6.13 to $110.81 a month — a nearly 6% increase.
Colorado’s war over oil and gas is a never-ending story. New political players have upended a fragile peace.
Colorado’s oil and gas wars broke more than two decades ago as the industry and local communities found themselves at loggerheads over the race to pull fossil fuels from lands stretching from the Utah border to the Kansas state line. Twenty years on it looks like the battle still has legs. The most recent skirmish broke out in March when Conservation Colorado filed four ballot measures aimed at tightening oil and gas operators’ liability for damages and cleanup of contaminated groundwater.
Oil and gas companies drilled and polluted less in 2025, but emissions from each well are rising, Colorado regulators say
Oil and gas drilling activity in Colorado was down in 2025, leading to fewer total air emissions — even as emissions for each new well are projected to rise, according to a report from the state Energy and Carbon Management Commission. The commission approved 48 oil and gas development plans last year — 20% fewer than in 2024 — for drilling 801 wells on 81 sites, the commission’s annual cumulative impacts report said. In 2024, 1,168 new wells were approved.
Oil and gas companies drilled and polluted less in 2025, but emissions from each well are rising, Colorado regulators say
Oil and gas drilling activity in Colorado was down in 2025, leading to fewer total air emissions — even as emissions for each new well are projected to rise, according to a report from the state Energy and Carbon Management Commission. The commission approved 48 oil and gas development plans last year — 20% fewer than in 2024 — for drilling 801 wells on 81 sites, the commission’s annual cumulative impacts report said. In 2024, 1,168 new wells were approved.
Oil and gas companies drilled and polluted less in 2025, but emissions from each well are rising, Colorado regulators say
Oil and gas drilling activity in Colorado was down in 2025, leading to fewer total air emissions — even as emissions for each new well are projected to rise, according to a report from the state Energy and Carbon Management Commission. The commission approved 48 oil and gas development plans last year — 20% fewer than in 2024 — for drilling 801 wells on 81 sites, the commission’s annual cumulative impacts report said. In 2024, 1,168 new wells were approved.
Bill reauthorizing Public Utilities Commission races through state Capitol
Facing rising utility bills, clean energy mandates and new demands for power, especially from data centers, a chorus of utilities and business groups is united saying the Colorado Public Utilities Commission needs an overhaul. In part, the push appears to be prompted by some controversial commission decisions. On Saturday, Republican lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill dealing with the routine reauthorization of the commission to expand the three-person panel to five members.
Bill reauthorizing Public Utilities Commission races through state Capitol. The story is what’s not included.
Facing rising utility bills, clean energy mandates and new demands for power, especially from data centers, a chorus of utilities and business groups is united saying the Colorado Public Utilities Commission needs an overhaul. In part, the push appears to be prompted by some controversial commission decisions. On Saturday, Republican lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill dealing with the routine reauthorization of the commission to expand the three-person panel to five members.
Drilling site near Aurora Reservoir approved despite opposition from residents
After an eight-month battle by residents around the Aurora Reservoir to get a proposed oil and gas drill site to move farther away from homes, industry regulators Tuesday approved the operator’s plan, saying it met all the state requirements. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission voted 3-2 to approve Crestone Peak Resources’ plan to drill 24 wells on the State Sunlight-Long drill pad.
Elbert County effort to block Xcel’s $1.7B Power Pathway upended by the PUC
State utility regulators have overruled local land use decisions and cleared the way for Xcel Energy to build its $1.7 billion Power Pathway transmission line through Elbert County. The line will bring Eastern Plains wind and solar to the Front Range. The Elbert County Commission voted in June 2025 to deny Xcel Energy two key permits responding to protests by landowners and ranchers and an unwillingness by the utility to reroute the path, which cut through the heart of the county.
Power providers make moves that are reshaping Colorado’s electric utilities landscape
April is bringing not only spring but major changes to Colorado utilities landscape as one more rural cooperative strikes out on its own and many of the state’s power providers join a regional wholesale market for the first time. Durango-based La Plata Electric Association bolted from its wholesale power provider, the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, on April 1 in search of more local control over electricity production and rates.
Xcel proposes new rate scale for data centers to shield consumers from added power costs
Xcel Energy on Thursday unveiled a special tariff for new, power-hungry data center customers aimed at ensuring centers pay their way and that other utility customers don’t get hit with the costs. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission ordered Xcel Energy, the state’s largest electricity provider with 1.6 million customers, to create a tariff, concerned that data center demand could drive up rates. The PUC must approve the proposed rate.
Xcel proposes new rate scale for data centers to shield consumers from added power costs
Xcel Energy on Thursday unveiled a special tariff for new, power-hungry data center customers aimed at ensuring centers pay their way and that other utility customers don’t get hit with the costs. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission ordered Xcel Energy, the state’s largest electricity provider with 1.6 million customers, to create a tariff, concerned that data center demand could drive up rates. The PUC must approve the proposed rate.
How tiny Kit Carson County has grown into a green energy giant
Cattle graze through corn stalks near the Dusty Rose Wind Project near Stratton in Kit Carson County on Jan. 30. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) From his front door, Rick Gaddy is watching a forest rise on the Eastern Plains of Kit Carson County. In January he counted 30 tall columns standing on the horizon, a few weeks later there were 50 and now he thinks there are more than 100.
Comanche 3 repairs delayed again, raising fears of summer power shortages that demand customer cutbacks
Delays in getting Xcel Energy’s damaged Comanche 3 coal-fired power plant back online may create a shortfall in electricity this summer, requiring customers to cut back on use during heat waves and other peak periods. Concerned about the potential gap between electricity generation and demand, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission this week ordered Xcel Energy to file a plan by April 15 to deal with the looming deficit.
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