Colorado PUC requests $497,161 for added staff, wildfire expertise

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is seeking $497,161 in additional spending authority from the Fixed Utility Fund for staff and wildfire expertise to review increasingly complex utility filings, including proposals on wildfire mitigation and electric-power supply.

At a Nov. 13 Joint Budget Committee briefing on the Department of Regulatory Agencies, budget analyst Michelle Curry described the proposed staffing as a half-time professional engineer to analyze wildfire measures, a full-time financial analyst to review rate filings, and two half-time senior economists. The economists would analyze how costs of ensuring adequate electricity supplies are allocated and assess the costs and benefits of power shutoffs, Curry said.

Rep. Taggart questioned whether “senior economist” accurately described the proposed work, saying the duties sounded more like financial analysis. Rep. Brown asked whether the positions would help the commission assess the merits and ratepayer impact of filings or mainly address a larger volume of them. Curry said she would include those questions in the commission’s hearing presentation.

Curry also described a proposed $75,000 wildfire consultant but did not specify the consultant’s deliverables. She said the department was considering whether state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources, could provide the expertise. Brown asked what the consultant would provide, and Sen. Kirkmeyer questioned whether the state already paid for relevant expertise. The briefing did not clarify whether the $75,000 is part of the $497,161 request.

The committee did not vote on the request during the Nov. 13 briefing. A tentative committee schedule listed a Nov. 30 hearing for the Department of Regulatory Agencies; it does not establish what action the committee will take on the request.