interested party: Black Hills Energy being driven from Colorado city

3/8/20

Black Hills Energy being driven from Colorado city

Rapid City-based Black Hills Corp is reaping the cannabis whirlwind in Colorado selling many megawatts of electricity to grow/ops. Recall that in 2014 nerdling Howdy Doody Dusty Johnson accompanied South Dakota's Republican former governor to a taxpayer-funded Western Governors Conference soiree in Colorado Springs where the pair met with industry mucky-mucks. Guess what: it paid off. Dusty hauled in at least $14,150 from those dudes last cycle. Xcel Energy is another utility reaping the green windfall so they gave Dusty $2500.

Black Hills Energy and the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission lubricate each other regularly and after priming the election pump, achieved a happy ending at the hands of Chris Nelson, Chairman Gary Hanson and Kristie Fiegen. The energy monopoly just moved into a $70 million facility in Rapid City financed mainly on the backs of subscribers without choices.

Even as prices plummet, Black Hills Energy remains focused on its substantial oil and natural gas holdings in the Mancos Shale within the San Juan and Piceance basins in the Four Corners region. The Trump Organization wants three thousand new oil and gas wells in the area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park but regulators and market forces in Colorado are driving the Rapid City-based utility from coal-fired electricity generation.

A recently conducted survey revealed a majority of Pueblo, Colorado residents wants the city to end its agreement with Black Hills Energy and create a municipal electric utility.

Of the responses received to that question, 266 people said they favored terminating the franchise, while 151 opposed it. “The responses to our survey mirror other surveys that have been conducted over the past year,” Mayor Nick Gradisar said in a statement. “The city of Pueblo survey began after Black Hills Energy began airing television commercials in Pueblo against municipalization, so it appears the advertising has not had the desired effect.” [City of Pueblo survey indicates support for municipalization]

Santa Fe-based Wild Earth Guardians has joined other interested parties in suing the Bureau of Land Management to stop oil and gas encroachment on Chaco Culture National Historic Park.

GAO pans Trump Organization plan to decentralize @BLMNational https://t.co/LhR9nXaXpf via @helenaironline
— interested party (@larry_kurtz) March 8, 2020

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Wild Horses of Red Rock

After consulting with the Horse Shelter and an equine veterinarian Donnamarie and Larry have decided that the best way to protect ten free-roaming horses is to keep them in their care. Forage is scarce and the only water available is from wells on their property so the four mares that will foal very soon will be safe, well cared for and as wild as possible. About fifteen acres is fenced with horse-safe wire but the gate is always open so the herd can come and go as they please. The couple has been buying hay and so far that is working but the three stallions need to be gelded and that is expensive so we're asking you to pony up to help defray the cost.