Advocacy

By Cynthia Pasquale

AARP Colorado today commended a decision to potentially spare 1.4 million Xcel Energy natural gas customers the possibility of paying excessive rate hikes and unnecessary surcharges.

On behalf of its 674,000 Colorado members, AARP is thanking Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel) for listening to the concerns of AARP and others about Xcel’s plan to pursue membership in the Little Rock, Arkansas-based grid operator Southwest Power Pool (SPP).

The following is a letter Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president, sent to Senators Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer and Representatives Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi, urging them to protect older Americans and their families:

AARP believes Americans are faced with a crisis in achieving adequate and secure retirement income, and SB-200, as written, is not the answer for the Public Employee’s Retirement Association.

AARP Colorado is deeply concerned about the proposal by Xcel, Black Hills and others to join the Little Rock-based Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which would turn over most regulatory authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

While job hunting, my husband, Michael Lindenberger, and I noticed that we weren’t getting any responses from employers even though our resumes matched their required skills and qualifications. Fearing our age may be a factor, I suggested taking graduation dates off our resumes. It was disheartening to think that age discrimination in the workplace is alive and well, but we knew it was a plausible explanation for the lack of interest from employers.

The Federal Communications Commission last month repealed net neutrality, which were the rules that regulated businesses that connect all of us to the internet.

AARP sent a letter to all members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives raising its concerns with significant shortcomings in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as highlighting some important provisions for older Americans.

On Nov. 15, 2017 AARP contacted all members of the U.S. House of Representatives in response to H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.