Overview
Staff with TNC and RMI joined members for an introductory webinar on Colorado’s new brownfield renewable energy policy, HB26-1268. This session walked county commissioners and staff through what Renewable Energy Reinvestment Areas (RERAs) are, how the designation process works, and the role of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in supporting brownfield redevelopment for clean energy. We explored hypothetical use cases to illustrate how RERAs could apply to sites in your county, along with the broader clean energy project economics that make brightfield development a good opportunity in Colorado. We showed how counties can voluntarily engage with the policy to their benefit and highlighted RMI’s free technical assistance that is available to support both RERA designation and specific project development.
This is a foundational session for counties looking to understand their options under the new law and how to get involved early to bring revenue-generating energy production to underutilized lands. Explore the materials below to learn more.
Materials
- Meeting recording available soon
- Slide decks available here (opens new window)
- RMI’s Brightfield Accelerator program (opens new window)
- What are “Brightfields?” and how can RMI help your county advance energy goals?
- DOE Energy Community Tax Credit Bonus (opens new window)
- Explore your county’s eligibility for the Energy Communities tax credit bonus adder
Contact
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, big or small. If your county has a project in mind or you simply wish to dive into the details of this topic, Matthew and Duncan are here to help. RMI offers a range of technical and strategic assistance free of charge and TNC pioneered this legislation.
- Matthew Popkin | Manager, US Cities & Communities | Founder, Brightfields Accelerator | RMI
- mpopkin@rmi.org
- 301-461-3210
- Duncan Gilchrist | Climate and Energy Policy Advisor | The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Chapter
- duncan.gilchrist@tnc.org
- 845-240-2662