Thread by @shayshinecastle

That was quick. Now: Muni news! I think I get to break it now.

Boulder is in discussions with Xcel to settle RE: the muni, and maybe re-establish a franchise agreement.

Muni work will continue while negotiations are ongoing.

Weaver using more technical language. But that's the gist.

Apparently this kind of off-ramp was available in 2017(?) but council didn't pursue. (Weaver going over this history that I'm not super familiar with)

I *just* started my research last night for an explainer piece. I covered years 2009-2013. Took three hours.

Weaver: Yates and Alice Jackson, new Xcel Colorado head, have been meeting to discuss previous settlement agreement.

There were "sticking points," Weaver says: The final price Boulder would pay for Xcel's system to form a municipal utility; how much decarbonization Xcel would provide if the city stuck with them.

It was a problem for many of us that the city has 3 goals: Decarbonize, decentralize and democratize, subject to 3 Rs: reliability, rates and renewables.

Weaver has also been meeting with Yates and Jackson.

Boulder's goal is 100% emissions-free electricity by 2030
Xcel's is 80% by 2030

"I was skeptical" Xcel would get there, Weaver says. Jackson said "they have ways to get there."

Weaver: Jackson told us, it's an option. We should get together and talk about how we could do grid planning, have more "islanding" opportunities, microgrids, etc. (which Boulder wanted but couldn't get in the last settlement)

Xcel, Boulder got together on April 20 (virtually) to talk about that.

Weaver: "That meeting was fairly positive."

Weaver: Jackson asked about settlement discussions after that meeting.

All agreed to "go back to our teams" and "talk about if this makes sense."

"After we went back to our teams, we came to a place we always come to, which is we're always willing to talk."

(Still Weaver)

We learned that Xcel's plans for 2030 will be filed for PUC sometime in 2021. But Boulder, under non-disclosure agreement, will get to look at those.

"Substantial difference" from last time when "there was no access to that information."

Planning includes resuming deferred undergrounding (of lines) which is about $1M per year

Weaver: Talked about "how can we ensure the future grid that we want" is ... "something we can bring to fruition."

Ffirst meeting April 20, another call April 24 "where we more or less said we think this is possibility", 4 more meeting followed including grid planning, legal meetings, etc.

Final meeting with Yates, Jackson, Weaver about "how we present this to the community. One of my lessons from 2016-2017 is we need to be as transparent about this as we can."

"We want as a Boulder team to hear from the community early and often as we go through the process."

"Nothing is set in stone," Weaver says. No signed documents (except from NDA and legal stuff) "so this is early."

"We want to hear from the community, to get feedback from council." There have been confidential memos.

"We have put out the idea of a couple of projects that are ongoing in Boulder that we might roadtest some of the concepts we might work on together."

"Idk where these discussions will go."

Brautigam: We've made great strides on the muni but we are always willing to work together with Xcel.

"We've been down this road before."

"From our perspective, the time, resources and money have already been really worth it," she says.

"This announcement doesn't mean we're backing away wholly form municipalization. Our analysis has always shown (that) is a viable path. ... We could continue the process ... We do sincerely hope negotiations are fruitful but there is no guarantee."

Carr: "Our team is still working full-throttle on municipalization."

All work will continue during negotiations. "We will not slack off."

Two qs before council tonight: How do we want to do community engagement/outreach? and
Do you agree or not with having Weaver and Yates continue to participate in discussions?

Wallach: "I have always .... I have been a supporter of the muni and remain so."

He had to walk back bc he has not always been a supporter.

"In the real world," if you get most of what you're after, that's a good thing, Wallach says.

"80% of a loaf is OK in my book."

Brockett concurs. "Our world has changed a lot in the last couple of months. I think it's very reasonable to" have this discussion with Xcel.

"I think it's important we're daylighting this pretty quickly," bc that didn't happen last time, Brockett says. We need to ask the public if they're OK with it and what they want to see.

Swetlik: At least half of our emailed comments on the muni come through responses to Yates' newsletter.

Swetlik: "My biggest concern is when management changes ... whatever we end up coming up with ... whatever we come up with can't be changed, no matter who is in charge."

Young: It's important for Yates, Weaver to bring things back to the full council to weigh in. "We're all equal here."

Young: I think it's important for the agreement to meet the city's climate goals laid out in July. That they are equitable and replicable and scaleable.

"This has been an important project that has moved the entire state in a direction it might not have moved in had it not been for this project."

Suggests public outreach include under-engaged groups who "don't usually weigh in on this."

Nagle: While the discussions are happening, will we still move forward with condemnation?

Carr: Yes.

Friend cool with it all; not much to add.

Joseph, too.

Yates: There's a lot we will be able to share with council and the public and some things we won't. "Our commitment is to communicate as consistently, broadly as we can."

Yates: The city has a legal right to condemn these assets. What's being asked of us is to give up that right ... in exchange, they'll do some things.

"We'll make a decision whether those things are sufficient to pause work on municipalization."

Addressing Swetlik's points about what happens if those commitment by Xcel aren't fulfilled. It will be part of this process to understand what repercussions might be if they're not.

"Tone seems to me to be very different" from 2016-2017 discussions.

It's still early, Yates says. We don't know if we will even reach a proposal.

"There seems to be a very genuine desire from Xcel to work with us, to partner with us."

"We'll be trying to get the best deal we can ... at the end of the day, if there is a final package, that will go to the community. This will be a community decision."

Brautigam: Our time for settlement negotiations is very short. council has to put ballot measures on by August.

Apparently they are pursuing this for 2020 ballot, then.

Weaver: Part of the convo has been, if we can come up with a process that integrates Boulder, that would be something Xcel would have to offer to other communities, bc PUC requires them to treat service areas the same.

Boulder might get reliability and renewables, but not rates, Weaver says, touching on three R criteria it hoped to address with muni utility. Rate-setting happens above their heads, but city can participate in it.

HUGE news in Year 10 of muni.

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you.