NEDERLAND — The Nederland Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB), while making great progress with many of its goals, have hit a wall with one of their major focuses for 2026, seemingly due to a backlog of issues that need to be prioritized during the Board of Trustees’ long-delayed Strategic Planning process. 

The SAB has been working steadily on providing residents with special discounts on heat pumps and solar programs through the Switch Together campaign—created in partnership with solar co-op organizers Solar United Neighbors—and on receiving funding for recycling education and outreach by applying to the Circular Action Alliance.

However, some initiatives important to the Board have been delayed, including the development of a new Energy Action Plan (EAP), which establishes the Town of Nederland’s renewable energy goals. The SAB addressed these delays during their monthly meeting on June 25, 2026. 

PIE in the sky  

The SAB has been spending much of the year working with Xcel Energy through their Partners in Energy (PIE) program to develop a new EAP, with the intention of having the guiding document drafted and adopted in June. 

Community surveying and workshops have been underway since January. The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) received an informational presentation from PIE representatives on April 21, and the final community workshop took place on May 4.

The results of the surveying helped form two proposed goals for the EAP: to increase renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses, and to reduce residential carbon dioxide emissions. 

Back in May, the BOT directed SAB and PIE to keep the current set goal for reaching 85% renewable energy by 2028—100% by 2030—but to require a less ambitious goal for carbon emission reduction out of concern that the community would respond negatively to being required to limit their use of natural gas. 

However, members of the SAB reported that the BOT’s mood on sustainability goals may have shifted, and that they may be leaning more toward an 80% renewable energy goal for 2030, and toward eliminating the natural gas reduction goal entirely. 

Furthermore, PIE’s work on a final draft of the energy plan has halted due to the lack of direction from Trustees, which has been attributed to the need for Strategic Planning to be conducted.

The BOT’s anticipated planning sessions are meant to prioritize all of the goals of every Town governmental board, but the delay of the sessions have caused a ripple effect of complications. 

“They’ve been very patient with us,” Co-Chair Melody Baumhover said about Xcel and PIE, noting that the planning phase of the EAP was supposed to be completed in May. “My fear is that they will cut implementation time shorter because we’ve spent longer on the planning phase. We should have been done with the plan months ago and we’re still waiting.” 

Community Planner Britt DeMinck and Sustainability Coordinator Cass Grady reported that they are working with PIE on negotiating an extension to their Memorandum of Understanding. Meanwhile, the BOT claim that they are awaiting the results of a community survey before they can schedule their strategic planning sessions. 

At the moment, the matter of the EAP is expected to go before Trustees during their meeting on July 7. Many members of the SAB expressed frustration about the delay in passing the energy plan, and opined about the complexity of the community survey in question. 

 “It’s so in depth,” Board Member Eryka Thorley said, “and you can’t strategically respond with what you have feedback on, or what you have expertise in, or what you even care about. It’s really challenging.”

The Town of Nederland 2026 to 2028 Strategic Planning Survey was released in late May and has since been extended twice in an effort to garner more responses. The period for taking part in the survey ended mid-June and yielded just over 40 responses. 

Board members began discussing changing their strategy in pitching a 100% renewable energy goal for 2030, and about how to address natural gas reduction in order not to draw backlash from the community. 

“We don’t want to mandate people switching away from gas appliances necessarily,” Co-Chair Baumhover explained. “We’re just trying to connect customers with the rebates that are available to push that last hurdle of getting people to sign up and switch if they want to.”

Topher Donahue, the newest member to the BOT and new Board liaison to the SAB, asked about whether some amount of acquiescence may be beneficial in the long run. 

“If we shoot for the pie in the sky do we risk losing the whole package? What if we backed off, would that get things happening? Would that help to get the [BOT] behind it?” 

“I really doubt it,” Co-Chair Rich Orman answered. “I think the Board, as it’s currently constituted, has made up their mind on that.” 

DeMinck agreed with the SAB about the difficulties surrounding the community survey and the BOT’s strategic planning, but urged patience as they have still not received a clear mandate regarding the EAP draft and its goals from Trustees. 

“If they only knew all this background, and history, and all the work we’ve put into this,” Co-Chair Baumhover said. “But two months to fill out a survey on all the Town’s goals, just to decide on these two pieces of the PIE action plan—it sends the message to me that they want to avoid saying ‘no.’” 

Action requires action 

Back on June 2, the BOT were required to take action regarding the Town of Nederland’s membership on the Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA) coalition. An update to the organization’s Policy Statement required feedback from its members before going before its own Board for a vote and potential adoption. 

The CC4CA is composed of 49 Colorado municipalities and advocates for climate action through state and federal legislation. Their Policy Statement, last updated in 2023, was determined to need a reduction of redundancy in its existing language, a potential reduction in policy positions, and “stronger communication and awareness” of the statement itself, to both the CC4CA’s existing and potential members.

Grady reported that CC4CA staff, along with a Policy Committee, have been drafting the new Policy Statement since early 2025. The proposed updates include alphabetizing policy positions; retaining the existing Land Use policy position; including a Working Lands policy position; including more community-centered language to its Equity policy position; adding language supporting “enhanced financial capacity for local governments that includes appropriate climate guardrails”; and retaining language that discourages the construction of new fossil fuel plants.

With Grady planning to attend the meeting as the Town’s representative, she asked Trustees for specific direction on whether to support, veto, or abstain on the Policy Statement update.  

The BOT had no questions or concerns regarding the update, and Mayor Nichole Sterling remarked that the document looked “eons better” than its predecessor, in terms of efficiency and clarity. Trustee Kristopher Larsen, who was involved with the adoption of the 2023 CC4CA Policy Statement, moved to approve the update, which was seconded and approved unanimously.

Grady’s monthly report provided an update on the CC4CA Policy Statement vote, which took place during the coalition’s annual meeting in Vail on June 10 through 12. She stated that she voted to approve the update on behalf of the Town, as directed by the BOT. 

The Nederland Sustainability Advisory Board meets on the fourth Thursday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 6:45 p.m. and can be attended online or in person at the Nederland Community Center.

For more information go to: townofnederland.colorado.gov/sustainability-advisory-board.