Informational message to supporters:
Craig Unit 1 is a coal burning power plant supplying electric generation to Tri-State Cooperative, the wholesale provider which delivers a portion of the electricity we consume here in the Gunnison Valley.
Craig Unit 1 entered service in 1980 and at 45 years old, the unit is beyond the typical economic design life of a coal-burning generator (30–40 years), and near the end of the generator’s typical operational life (40–50 years). Craig Unit 1 was scheduled to retire on December 31, 2025.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has mandated Craig Unit 1 remain available and operate beyond its retirement date. Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered the coal unit to remain in operation through March 2026. The order cited a sudden increase in demand for electricity, or a shortage of generation capacity. The DOE has issued emergency orders to keep open fossil fuel plants scheduled to be closed in New York, Michigan and Indiana as part of the Trump administration’s push to revive the coal industry.
An economic analysis by Grid Strategies concludes as a result of this order, maintaining Craig Unit 1 online will require additional investments in operations, repairs, maintenance and, potentially, fuel supply, all factors which will increase costs downstream to ratepayers.
Link to full – Grid Strategies Report
Write, or even better, call Congressional representative Jeff Hurd to voice your opposition to the DOE’s order.
Email – https://hurd.house.gov/contact/email-me / Phone – (202) 225-4676
Public Comment Script:
Dear Representative Hurd,
I am writing as a Gunnison County constituent, as well as a Tri-State G&T power consumer to express my strong dissatisfaction with the Department of Energy’s policy requiring continued operation of the Craig Unit 1 Power Station beyond its planned retirement.
As documented in a recent Grid Strategies report, the DOE mandate forcing Craig Unit 1 to remain online will impose substantial and unnecessary costs on ratepayers—at least $20 million for each 90-day period, or roughly $85 million annually, with the potential to reach $150 million per year under a must-run requirement. The report further shows that Craig Unit 1 is uneconomic more than 90% of the time, with generation costs consistently exceeding nearby market prices.
This policy overrides decisions made by utilities and regulators who are best positioned to manage reliability and costs, while shifting the financial burden directly onto customers like me. As a Coloradan already facing rising energy costs, I find it unacceptable that ratepayers are being asked to subsidize an aging, inefficient coal unit whose own owners have determined should be retired.
I urge you to oppose DOE actions that increase electricity costs for Colorado ratepayers and to advocate instead for policies that respect state regulatory decisions and protect consumers.
