Past Campaigns & Victories
2019
Fort Collins Utilities supports Home Energy Score to provide information about the energy efficiency of a house that has gone through the energy efficiency program. In 2016 CforSE members asked that a scoring system be developed and that energy efficiency scores be disclosed in building sale or lease advertising. Fort Collins now has the scoring system. Next we need the disclosure requirement.
2017
Bus service on Sunday is part of the 2009 Transfort Strategic Operating Plan. The senior citizen board, transit dependent and low-income groups, and climate action folks are asking the City to follow through on that plan this year. This isn’t cheap, $1.3 million for 2017 and 2018 service, but it helps to reduce pollution, traffic, road maintenance, increases street safety, and increases mobility for those who depend on it. CforSE generated public comment that helped get this passed.
Ultimately Transfort needs independent funding through a voter-approved Transportation District.
2016
Fort Collins hires a staff member to develop the "Building Energy Benchmarking" program (hopefully a temporary title). This in response to the CforSE campaign asking the City to require that building owners disclose, upon sale or lease or the building, whether or not the building has had an energy audit and how well it performs in terms of energy usage. As of March 2017 stakeholder outreach is supposedly under way but I haven't been able to secure a briefing from staff. After the April election I will press City Council to get an answer. City staff provided update from December 2016.
2015
Fort Collins City Council adopts on-bill financing plan to help people pay for home and business energy efficiency remodels. In most cases the energy saved more then pays for the cost of the remodel. The financing is 2.5% up to 20 yrs. That is by far the best deal in the country!
2013
Fall 2013 – La Plata Electric Association (Durango) moving forward with Community Solar Garden. CforSE members asked for this in the fall of 2012.
November 2013 – In 2012/13 CforSE worked to get safer drilling practices implemented in Fort Collins, Broomfield, Lafayette, and Boulder County. The industry refused to budge, so the voters passed moratoriums to keep drilling out of their neighborhoods.
For part of 2013 CforSE was in hibernation so that the staff could work to pass The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013. Learn More.
2012
March 2012 – Erie passes a moratorium on oil & gas drilling after CforSE generates 100 letters to the Board of Trustees.
April 2012 – Fort Collins City Council votes to allow Utilities to offer On-Bill Financing. Councilman Ben Manvel credits Cforse for 2 years of organizing to get the program started. Councilman Wade Troxell demonstrates letters that Cforse members wrote to him and thanks Cforse for our work connecting constituents to representatives. Fort Collins Utilities has a long way to go to make this program successful and we are holding them accountable to delivering a quality product.
Dec 2012 – Fort Collins adopts a moratorium on oil/gas drilling within city limits, exempting current operations. Cforse canvassing in key districts has big impact. Council drops the ball in Feb. 2013 allowing expanded drilling to occur in clear violation of the law they just passed. This blatant failure of leadership leads to a citizen ballot initiative that passes a 5 year fracking moratorium.
2011
September 2011- Garfield County Commissioners approve a financing program for energy efficiency after receiving about 200 letters generated by CforSE. Call CLEER for more info. 970-704-9200
Nov. 2011 – Fort Collins City Council passes Conservation Discount Rate (tiered rate) for electric customers. This is a progressive rate structure that rewards conservation and discourages waste.
Dec. 2011 – Longmont passes a 120 day moratorium on oil & gas drilling to buy time to adapt regulations to better protect public health. CforSE generated over 500 letters to help make that happen.
2010
June 2010 – The “Flex” public bus route runs from Fort Collins to Longmont. Letters and support from Cforse members help to make it possible to take public transportation from Fort Collins to Denver. www.flexnoco.com
July 2010 – Loveland City Council votes to implement energy efficiency programs after receiving over 200 letters from Loveland CforSE members. Cforse credited with inspiring the action.
July 2010 – Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association (PVREA) begins the “CARE” program which helps low income families make their homes more energy efficient. Cforse generated over 200 letters from PVREA members asking them to make this move.
August 2010 – Senators Udall’s office calls CforSE to pledge their support in restoring Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) assessments, which provide property owners with an affordable and convenient way to finance the high upfront cost of energy improvements. Cforse generated over 100 letters to the senators. Federal agencies are blocking this program because they are stupid (still reading), but On Bill Tariffs do a better job of accomplishing the same goal anyway.
August 2010 – The Larimer County Commissioners show interest in implementing a PACE program in Larimer County after receiving over 700 letters from residents and business owners, but fail to act, demonstrating lack of leadership.
2010 Cforse generated over 1,000 letters to the PRPA board of directors asking them to leverage PRPA’s financial and organizational power to increase energy efficiency programs available to residents. At that time, the PRPA management was old school we’ll say, and didn’t take kindly to our efforts. But now we have new blood and a new bold direction and strong leadership! Jackie Sargant has come from Austin, TX to lead PRPA into the future and she gets it! We expect great things from PRPA and will be working with them to improve efficiency programs across the four cities, integrate more wind and solar onto our grid, and explore other ideas such as geothermal and hydro pump storage.
2009
2009 – La Plata Electric Association expands efficiency programs for low income families after receiving over 200 letters from members.
August 2009 – The Fort Collins’ City Council votes 7-0 for a plan to improve the Fort Collins’ public bus system after receiving over 4,300 citizen requests. Before our campaign Councilman Wade Troxell wanted to de-fund the bus. Wade responded to his constituents’ demands by becoming a vocal champion for the new plan.
2008
2008 – Gallegos Sanitation started using biodiesel in their trash trucks after receiving over 1, 100 letters from Northern Colorado residents. Waste Management and Rams Waste have yet to respond to this consumer demand. Gallegos has stopped using biodiesel, but given the current market and supply issues, new feedstocks (algea-fuel) need to be developed before pursuing this avenue further.