Boulder Residents Demand Solutions for Power Outages
Boulder residents are increasingly frustrated with frequent power outages, prompting discussions among city officials, staff, and community members during a recent forum focused on power resiliency.
At the meeting, city staff outlined the growing occurrence and duration of outages linked to Xcel Energy. The aim was to work towards a comprehensive plan addressing these issues, rather than providing immediate fixes. The forum follows a particularly challenging event in December that left over 22,000 customers without power due to a safety shutoff and windstorm.
The city plans to return to historical levels of power reliability by 2035. Participants engaged in smaller groups to examine various strategies that could help achieve this goal. Carolyn Elam, Boulder’s sustainability senior manager, encouraged attendees to learn from current experiences and focus on long-term resilience amid climate changes.
Among ideas proposed was the creation of a dashboard to track outages, as many residents, including Gabe Monroy, voiced distrust in Xcel’s outage map. Monroy emphasized the need for the city to take initiative in dealing with Xcel and exploring new strategies.
Groups suggested improvements in emergency alerts, advocating for residents to have an “opt-out” option for notifications, and ensuring backup power for streetlights and cell towers. Suggestions also included legislative changes to reduce outages, with an emphasis on affordable financing options for community members interested in enhancing resilience.
City staff are set to compile a roadmap of strategies for presentation to the Boulder City Council in February, with implementation slated for later in the year.
