Today’s Daily Camera features two editorials by associate editor Clint Talbott on Boulder’s latest greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

In Open that Database!, Talbott supports and amplifies my earlier request for the complete emission inventory database from the city. (Thanks!) Regarding the city’s claim that this database is proprietary, he wrote:

“In diplomatic terms, Gahran objected to the denial, arguing that the full inventory is a public document. She is right. The data upon which the city will measure the progress of its tax-funded emissions program is clearly a matter of public concern. It should be treated as a matter of public record.”

As I noted this morning, we seem to be making progress toward getting access to that inventory — not direct access at this point, but the city is will to supply data in answer to specific questions. That’s a start, and it’s my impression that the city intends to work with us on that in good faith.

However, I still intend to push for direct access to the database. I explained that in a comment I posted to Talbott’s first editorial… I just commented to Talbott:

“As a fellow journalist, I’m sure you know that it’s often much more useful to actually see the database — how it’s structured, how data is presented, etc. — in order to form useful questions that will result in useful stories. So I’m taking Van Pelt’s offer as a constructive starting point, but I will continue to try to get direct access to the database. Van Pelt has invited me to discuss this with her further.”

Talbott’s second editorial today on local carbon emissions, Smoking the carbon goal: CU choice illustrates larger dilemma, illuminates a key dilemma facing Boulder as the city strives to achieve its self-imposed goal of meeting the Kyoto Protocol goals by 2012. It boils down to this: Making choices that result in reliable long-term CO2 reductions often mean spending more money today — sometimes a lot more money. If these decisions were easy, and if they could be made strictly on environmental merits, perhaps climate change never would have become such a problem.

Regarding Ryan Morgan’s article yesterday, Boulder Spews More CO2, Talbott observed:

“Left hand, meet the right hand. …Two years ago, the university [of Colorado] stopped burning natural gas to generate its own electricity and opted instead to buy power from Xcel, whose generation comes mostly from the burning of coal. The move, precipitated by the soaring cost of natural gas, saves CU about $1.2 million annually. …At the same time, the university’s stated goal is zero net carbon emissions. The short-term fiscal move has made it more difficult to reach long-term carbon neutrality.

“…The university should not be singled out for special disapproval. CU is only part of the picture. For instance, Boulder residential electricity use has been steadily rising since 2004, city data indicate. Industrial electrical use appears to have grown rapidly, though the city says there may be data ‘glitches’ in the carbon-tracking database. The important number, the city says, is total CO2 emissions.”

Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker will be interviewing CU officials to discuss their decisions, and what options remain available to the university to achieve its carbon neutrality goals. We’ll also explore what options might be available to the university to reverse or offset the environmental and financial impact of this decision. Stay tuned.

In the meantime: What do you think of CU’s decision to buy power from Xcel Energy? Can you suggest some other options for the university? Please comment below.

And of course, if you’re interested in exploring this and related local topics directly, you can volunteer for Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker. This community journalism project needs your help!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 7:21 pm and is filed under About this project, Buildings, Business, Choices & actions, Greenhouse gas emissions, Industrial & institutional, Publicity, Utilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.