Same question, every candidate · Empower Our Future climate forum
Xcel is preparing a decade-long remediation of nearly 2 million tons of coal ash at the Valmont power station. Should Boulder use its franchise and partnership agreements with Xcel to require strong, independent air quality monitoring throughout the cleanup? And if so, how specifically would you do this?
Asked at the Empower Hour: Climate and Energy Forum with Boulder Mayoral Candidates, October 6, 2026.
Each page shows one forum question and every candidate we quote on it, in ballot order. There are no scores. We mark yes or no only when the candidate said it outright. A blank means they didn't, so read the quote. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording.
| Candidate | In their words |
|---|---|
| Lisa Ann Jacobs | Given Excel's history of unfair deceptive business acts, then I would not trust their monitoring results. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 43:11 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) |
| Taishya Adams | And I would really love to see that model used for the coal ash. Transcript note: 'That model' is the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council, which she described just before. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 47:17 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) |
| Aaron Brockett | But I will say that our best opportunity here does lie with the state legislature. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 41:45 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) As of last year, all new construction has to be electric only with no fossil fuel usage Transcript note: Said in his remaining time on this question, responding to Lisa Ann Jacobs's earlier call for an all-electric requirement. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 42:38 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) |
| Jameson Goldstein | So overall, listen to the community and listen to the scientists on this one. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 39:03 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) |
| Fred Smith | My point is it's going to be real short answer is to study hard, get many opinions and don't rush into it and do it the right way. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 46:27 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) |
| Aquiles La Grave | So I would absolutely use the franchise agreement to the extent possible to push for written agreements and binding legal agreements with Excel to fund that monitoring Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 39:51 · Empower Hour 2026-10-06 Climate & Energy Forum with Boulder Boulder Mayoral Candidates. (Empower Our Future, YouTube) |
If a candidate isn't listed, we didn't quote them on this question. They may have been absent or not called on.