 2007
was a banner year for the Colorado lawmakers when it came to energy
policy, and with all the successes. While it would be tempting for
clean energy advocates to declare victory and go home, getting good
laws passed is only the beginning. When it comes to implementing
laws that pertain to investor-owned utilities, the responsibility
falls on the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to interpret
the legislation and ensure that our state’s public utilities comply
with that interpretation. Here, “public utilities” means Xcel Energy
(also known as Public Service of Colorado, or PSCo) and Black Hills
Corporation (formerly Aquila), since rural electric cooperatives and
municipal utilities are generally exempt from PUC regulation.The
PUC accomplishes its business in a series of “dockets” in which
various “interveners” submit testimony (and respond to other
interveners’ testimony) for the PUC to consider. Individuals can
become interveners, but it is time consuming and requires knowledge
of PUC procedure. Public interest groups with an attorney can also
intervene, with various expert witnesses submitting testimony on
behalf of that group.
Although CRES is not currently intervening in any dockets, our
intent is to facilitate technical information exchange between our
membership and intervening organizations.
What follows is a quick summary of some of the most important
dockets before the PUC this year, and the groups who support
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency who are intervening, and whom
you can support or contact for more information about their
activities. You can follow the links to comprehensive testimony and
rulings in each docket on the PUC website.
07A-447E—This electric resource planning docket will
determine the mix of new generation and energy efficiency resources
with which Xcel plans to meet our anticipated electricity needs in
the coming years. Anticipated/ current interveners: IEA, RUC, SWEEP,
WRA.
07A-420E—Demand side management plan in which the PUC
will review Xcel/PSCo’s proposals for electricity DSM policy
including energy savings and DSM budget goals, DSM program cost
recovery, and incentive to the utility for implementing effective
DSM programs. This docket was initiated in response to DSM
legislation enacted last year, HB 07-1037. Interveners: EEBC, RUC,
SWEEP, WRA.
07R-371G—This rulemaking docket will determine the
rules and policies governing gas utility energy efficiency (a.k.a.
Demand Side Management, or DSM) programs, including energy savings
goals and how utilities will be compensated and rewarded for
reductions in natural gas usage. Current Interveners: EEBC, RUC,
SWEEP.
07A-462E—Renewable Energy Plan docket in which the
PUC will review Xcel/PSCo’s plans for complying with the recently
doubled Renewable Energy Standard. Interveners: CoSEIA, IEA, WRA.
07M-446E—Transmission is essential to bringing the
power from renewable energy sources to population centers. This
docket will determine much of when and where transmission is
upgraded or built, and therefore will have a long term impact on
which Renewables can be developed. Current Interveners: IEA, WRA.
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