DENVER - The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), invites the public to comment on ways to make its regulation of utilities more equitable and to address historical inequalities experienced by Colorado communities.
Senate Bill 21-272 requires the PUC to create rules that will “consider how best to provide equity, minimize impacts, and prioritize benefits to disproportionately impacted communities and address historical inequalities.” The statute requires the PUC to consider how best to provide equity in all its work.
The Commission will be hosting informational meetings about equity initiatives on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 from 6-7 pm and on Thursday, June 7, 2022 from 12-1 pm. To learn more and to register, please visit puc.colorado.gov/equity or the Commission's public calendar. The Commission will be hosting other public meetings, which are likely to include workshops and other activities that may contribute to creating rules or taking other actions.
The Commission would like the public’s input on:
- How should the PUC define equity for the industries it regulates, including electricity, gas, telecommunications, transportation, and other areas?
- How can the PUC better engage disproportionately impacted communities?
- Whether changes to programs for income-qualified utility customers should be considered?
- What kinds of rules and practices would make it easier to participate in Commission proceedings?
- Experiences that members of the public have had with utility services or PUC processes?
To Participate:
- You can submit comments in writing through the Commission’s online form or through email at dora_puc_website@state.co.us and these comments will be posted in E-Filings. Please include “Proceeding No. 22M-0171ALL” in written comments.
- You can also mail written comments to the Commission’s offices at: Colorado Public Utilities Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202.
- You can participate in workshops, informational meetings, and public comment hearings scheduled by the Commission. Commission Staff will be scheduling events as directed by the Commission.
- You can view upcoming events on the Commission’s public calendar and agendas will be posted in E-Filings and on the SB 21-272 webpage. While the Commission will endeavor to provide live interpretation services in events scheduled in this proceeding, you can also request interpretation, translation, and other services using the Language Access Form.
To Stay Informed:
- You can file a document called a “notice of intent to participate,” which lets the Commission know who from your organization should receive filings from the Commission and other participants in the proceeding. To submit this notice, you will need to create an E-Filings
- If you do not have an E-Filings account, but you would like to receive notice of upcoming events such as workshops, please contact PUC_SB272Equity@state.co.us. Email notices are likely to focus on events related to this Proceeding and are not a substitute for subscribing to receive email notice of all filings by participants in a proceeding using E-Filings.
- General information on this proceeding can be found on the Commission’s SB 21-272 webpage and you can view all filings from the Commission and from other participants in E-Filings for Proceeding No. 22M-0171ALL.
You do not need an attorney to participate in this process.
For language-related requests, the Commission strives to accommodate all members of the public at its hearings and meetings by providing services for foreign language users and persons with disabilities upon receipt of a reasonable accommodation request. Requests for such accommodations should be made at least one week prior to the event by completing the Language Access Form. Requests can also be made directly by contacting Holly Bise at 303.894.2024 (voice), 720.583.9879 (video phone), or by emailing holly.bise@state.co.us