7/8/15

South Dakota GOP delegation, utility reaping profits from Colorado cannabis buzz

Sioux Falls-based Xcel Energy just enjoyed a 4 percent rate hike from the South Dakota Public Utility Cartel (SDPUC) but reduced its request in Colorado.
The latest Xcel Energy data show cannabis grow facilities statewide, the bulk in Denver, used as much as 200 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2014, utility officials said. City officials said 354 grow facilities in Denver used about 121 million kwh in 2013, up from 86 million kwh at 351 facilities in 2012. Lighting companies are working with pot companies to test the potential for LED lamps to reduce electricity use without hurting plants, Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz said. Xcel is advising companies on how much electricity different lights use, he said. [The Cannabist]
In 2014, Xcel gave $10,000 to Mike Rounds, $2,500 to John Thune and $4,250 to Kristi Noem.

Why are Xcel and other utilities based in South Dakota? No taxes, a compliant regulator and cheap labor.

Now we know why South Dakota's GOP congressional delegation wants cheap dirty coal.

An initiated measure to reform South Dakota's cannabis laws is making its way through the ballot process. Read Republican Attorney General Marty Jackley's reactionary view linked here.

Jackley has not yet joined a suit challenging Colorado's cannabis law and sees potential for dialogue with the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in their initiative bringing cultivation to their community.

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