Independent Colorado energy companies are quietly taking the first steps to test public opinion about the potential divorce between Xcel Energy and the city of Boulder — a move that could present a golden opportunity for the industry.
With city leaders indicating support for a ballot question this fall about Boulder’s energy future, the Colorado Independent Energy Association is testing the waters through a recently completed phone survey.
The survey of 207 random Boulder voters found a lot of uncertainty about whether people would support Boulder becoming a municipal utility or instead continuing its long relationship with Xcel.
Of the responses, 44 percent of people said they would prefer the city to municipalize and contract with independent energy companies that would provide electricity through a mix of wind, solar and natural gas. But 21 percent of people said they would prefer to stay with Xcel, and 35 percent said they were unsure or didn’t have an opinion.
Those numbers echo a July survey conducted by the city: 43 percent of people supported extending the now-expired franchise agreement with Xcel, 23 percent said they would vote against it and 33 percent were undecided.
The responses to the more recent industry survey also show that only about half of Boulder voters have a favorable opinion of Xcel and that the majority of Boulder voters — 63 percent — are willing to pay more toward their monthly electricity bills if it substantially reduced carbon emissions.
Will Coyne, a spokesman for the Colorado Independent Energy Association, said the industry group has not developed a position on whether Boulder should become a municipal utility — although he acknowledged that it would potentially be a great business opportunity.
“Our members supply clean, affordable electricity from natural gas, wind and solar to a number of markets in Colorado,” he said. “We commissioned this survey because our members are acutely interested in potential changes in a significant electricity market like Boulder.”
Ken Bickers, a professor of political science at the University of Colorado and an expert in campaigns and elections, said it’s not unusual for corporations or industry groups to conduct polling on issues that could affect their business.
“One of the things it does is if they have a stake in that upcoming election, it gives them a sense of whether they want to invest in advertising (or individual campaigns),” he said.
Bickers also said companies use polling to determine whether to get involved in political issues at all or whether the public could be persuaded by investing in a campaign.
Jonathan Koehn, Boulder’s environmental affairs manager, said the survey points to the need for more education about the city’s options.
“It certainly does tell us a lot that we have a fair amount of education and information to get out,” he said.
Xcel, according to Koehn, generates about $100 million in revenue and about $20 million in profit from Boulder customers annually. He said the survey shows that companies are already interested in vying for that potentially lucrative contract.
Koehn said he hopes to have more information about the specific costs of becoming a municipal utility soon, but the city still has not received a proposal from Xcel to share with the community.
