Energy Legislation We’re Tracking for the 2026 Session

Written by Kimberly Van Becelaere

Colorado’s 2026 legislative session kicked off on January 14. As a clear picture of what is at stake is emerging, the CRES Policy Committee is actively reviewing and preparing responses to key energy legislation. 
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We talked with Vince Calvano, chair of the Policy Committee, about what’s on their radar.

Tell us a little about the CRES Policy Committee and what it does. 

The CRES Policy Committee is a group of renewable energy advocates—some are experts in their field, and some work outside of renewable energy—who are interested in advancing policies that accelerate Colorado’s transition to clean, renewable energy.

The Policy Committee meets throughout the year and is active in Colorado policy in two ways.  
1) During the Colorado legislative session (January–May), the committee evaluates relevant bills, and testifies in legislative committee hearings on these bills. We also draft and submit letters of support or opposition, depending on the bill. In some cases, we take part in bill development as well.  

2) CRES also advocates at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CO PUC). Many different members of the Policy Committee have served as an expert or policy witness in various electric and gas utility matters before the CO PUC, such as the inaugural Xcel/PSCo Clean Heat Plan, PSCo Electric Resource Plans, and the PSCo Virtual Power Plant Proceeding, among others. CRES often participates as an intervenor in these types of dockets that include reading utility testimony and asking them questions, developing answer testimony, participating in settlement discussions, participating in the hearing, and developing a final brief or statement of position with recommendations for the CO PUC’s eventual decisions on the matter.

Now that you’ve seen some of the legislation on the table for this session, are there any themes or big topics you are seeing?

There are a few big topics this year. One is related to data center management (HB26-1030). CRES just updated its Policy Statement on Hyperscale Data Centers in Colorado. We advocate for the data centers to pay their own way, ensuring ratepayers are held harmless if their enterprises fail, and to comply with state greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations, among other things. There are a few “bad” bills that CRES is opposing, such as a bill to remove wind energy from state goals (SB26-028) and a bill to reduce GHG emission goals (SB26-022). CRES is still looking at the details of many other bills, such as ones related to microgrids, balcony or plug-in solar, and energy affordability, to name a few. These are some of the bills that have dropped already, but there will likely be many other relevant bills that the Policy Committee will evaluate before the end of the legislative session in May.

What do you think is the most consequential piece of legislation so far that people should be aware of?

It’s hard to know which might be the most consequential piece of legislation (and we haven’t seen all of the bills for this session yet), but the data center bill is big because that could determine how many data centers move to Colorado in the next few years, which could have wide-ranging effects on the ability of Colorado to meet its emissions and water goals.  The balcony solar bill could open up a marketplace for thousands of Coloradans to potentially buy their own solar panels and plug them into their homes or apartments.  And last, but potentially not least, is SB26-022, which is requesting a reduction in emission goals for certain entities, which could lead to more emissions.

For people who might be new to this, what is the best way they can help advance clean energy policies and make their voices heard?

For someone who is new, learning more about the Colorado legislative process and what happens at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission is a great way to start.  Both have ample opportunities to make your voice heard.  There are numerous legislative committee hearings on the bills, and the details of every bill and meeting are online at https://leg.colorado.gov/bills. Anyone can submit a public comment on any proceeding at the CO PUC through their website: https://puc.colorado.gov/participate.

Is there anything else you’d like everyone to know?

Yes. You can also become more informed about Colorado policy by viewing the CRES-energy.org website and attending any of our numerous educational talks and webinars throughout the year. We even have a CRES YouTube Channel with dozens of previous talks archived for you to view.

You can help shape Colorado’s energy future! Subscribe to the CRES newsletter to be alerted about opportunities to make your voice heard.