A Boulder environmental activist Thursday filed an appeal over state approval of a new coal-fired power plant in Pueblo.

In her appeal to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, Leslie Glustrom said the plant will pollute and contribute to global warming. She said the commission failed to abide by a state law that requires the "fullest possible consideration" of cost-effective clean energy and energy-efficient technologies.

The commission last month approved Xcel Energy's proposal for a $1.3 billion coal-fired unit at Xcel's Comanche generating station.

The plant was approved after Xcel and a coalition of environmental and energy-efficiency groups reached a settlement that calls for Xcel to spend more than $200 million on emissions reductions, conservation and renewable power.

Advertisement

Glustrom was not a party to the settlement. She said Thursday that she represents a newly formed group, Colorado Smart Energy, that includes Greenpeace, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, Women in Sustainable Energy, and the University of Colorado-Boulder Environmental Center.

A spokesman for the commission said Glustrom may lack the legal standing to file an appeal of the decision because she was not an "intervenor," or official participant, in the commission review process.

Glustrom said that if the commission rejects the appeal, she may sue. "We have a lot of steam behind this," she said. "We're going to be fighting them every step of the way."

An Xcel spokesman said the settlement that allowed approval of the power plant will benefit consumers economically and environmentally.

Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com.