[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6173319,"mediaKeyId","5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88","parentId",5382692,"title","UCA board approves agenda, minutes and adjourns — routine procedural votes","audioSeconds",5373,"startMs",852000,"endMs",6225000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88&start=852&end=6225","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88/thumbnail_852000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6173319/Colorado/UCA-board-approves-agenda-minutes-and-adjourns-routine-procedural-votes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173319-411086715c56d0dd482b4a6559eb0646/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165995&Signature=UgPkKCyGU67rYw1CN1OWpS4DrcWRr77LJczqbqK5I1ySHHde-VP~agiIdc-6VAJ7fuvuWLwpjGj2mO-9e86H-hlD~sTqs4WLes6zzd6qfJs5PCnGHcy3L07XK5iMck19W0LK8o3rnqFriF68043WpGxPGVEfD~Tne9WdMjwM~qhGcUq4bEvF6eHHzufU40ONK8fu4PXVj-la7tF9VXUuNRpK~BuZYwpJocgltYNHg5O9n~g0a0TTdtMBachEavf2UbR5aMTERAPQq6W618lZ7Ia~TyWXuic0Ns4ncFKIy0VKDilMRI4FmCVSl9u7tPP7AZ6Pg0G3QFItWzob4JsiGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","DORA Colorado","date","2025-07-14T16:06:37Z","article","At the start of the meeting the board approved its July meeting agenda and the May meeting minutes, and at the end of the session members voted to adjourn.

Terry Hart moved to approve the July meeting agenda; Jessica Lau seconded and the board approved the motion by voice vote (no opposition recorded). Hart moved to approve the May meeting minutes; the motion was seconded by Amy and approved with no recorded opposition. The meeting concluded with a motion by Hart to adjourn, seconded by Amy; the motion carried by voice vote.

These procedural votes were recorded during the public meeting and appear in the transcript as the board establishing its agenda and approving prior minutes before moving to substantive items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","UCB Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The board voted unanimously to approve the July meeting agenda, approve May meeting minutes, and adjourn the session.","taxTitle","Regulatory Agencies, Governor's Cabinet, Organizations, Executive, Colorado","taxId",27603,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6173324,"UCA staff flag stranded-asset risk in PSCo depreciation and gas infrastructure filings",1995,4020000,6015000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88&start=4020&end=6015","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88/thumbnail_4020000.jpg","/articles/6173324/Colorado/UCA-staff-flag-stranded-asset-risk-in-PSCo-depreciation-and-gas-infrastructure-filings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173324-03701de9b933ca69904b0bda6025d882/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165995&Signature=gsoXUcP6EU8l2ECPBFuh~ieUoOIWyNc7odimmYPVj8FY3RGicKIH0cprPnVPqpn~hRRbXzy7O4G8kHGMBP3fAdJosEl8lWZplWHqS8UCojfU1JsgXvVnOuAeHqMYwqdkAX4CYyY6JmEpYFlmJpdKgoPLBKHRXlIhf0UWeEsFMGbatITvl09L2iPdpxfGqK9IOgruyHm8nEy9iJ-XSsSepI7TsOKmt0coDuA8wXGkxsDZihbvFC3OAHfYfsxuEu8-FA6HoCPAub6bns8PyTILbOdChkNIsPjzdRlI79s6pgfg9EPjjLWNbvp3bUBHMVe5ukgMaGwjlzcuK~rhwAktvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","UCA staff briefed the board on two related items from Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo): an asset depreciation filing and a gas infrastructure plan (GIP) that together could affect how the utility recovers costs from customers as Colorado pursues heating-sector decarbonization.

Ron Fernandez, an analyst with the UCA, said the PUC ordered PSCo to file updated depreciation rates and to set up a fund — a depreciation reserve — with approximately $15 million in increased rates to finance future retirements. Fernandez said the UCA intends to support a regulatory-liability approach to hold those funds rather than establishing a dedicated trust because the liability approach is “cheaper and a lot cleaner” for customers.

Joshua Puterman, an analyst who presented the depreciation analysis, said changing depreciation schedules alters the utility’s revenue requirement and therefore customer rates. “When you change the depreciation rate…you change the revenue requirement on what’s going to be charged to all of us,” Puterman said, and he urged PSCo to quantify the benefits the company expects from proposed accelerated schedules so the UCA and the PUC can weigh ratepayer impacts against any claimed public benefits.

Staff then presented PSCo’s second gas infrastructure plan filing, which lists 62 projects with a combined cost of about $572 million. Carrie (UCA analyst) summarized that roughly 51 of the 62 projects — representing about 71% of the plan’s spending — are labeled “system safety and integrity,” with notable items including reconfirmation of maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) work, distribution integrity management program (DIMP) activities and a project to bury an above-ground pipeline segment near Winter Park (the Louisville Rawlins Pass work, roughly $17.1 million).

The plan also proposes capacity-expansion work totaling about $127.5 million and includes projects to replace or rebuild compressors and interconnect work tied to the Spirit Canal interconnects assignment. PSCo seeks multiple outcomes: approval of the plan and related CPCNs for specific projects, permission for current cost recovery for both large and small non-pipeline alternatives (NPAs) identified in the plan, deferred accounting for plan-development costs, and waivers or variances as needed.

UCA analysts told the board they will scrutinize the need for capacity expansion given the state clean heat forecast expects declining gas loads. Carrie said that expansion assets placed into service now risk becoming stranded before the end of their useful lives, which could shift early-retirement costs onto ratepayers. “If the company continues to plan for expansion while the state forecast expects usage to decline, we need to test whether those expansion projects belong in the GIP or should be placed in rate base,” she said.

Board members discussed trade-offs. Some urged shorter depreciation lives and tools such as securitization to limit ratepayer exposure. Former PUC Chairman Ron Lehr and others noted prior competitive procurement and financing tools can mitigate some risks. Staff said they will pursue discovery to require PSCo to quantify the benefits asserted for accelerated depreciation, to test design-day assumptions behind capacity projects (including Spirit Canal interconnects and mountain LNG/CNG solutions), and to evaluate whether NPAs are appropriately placed in a regulatory recovery framework or should be treated differently.

UCA staff said the issues will proceed through adjudicated PUC processes where case-specific evidence about project pricing, depreciation calculations and NPAs can be tested. The board directed staff to continue developing testimony and analytics for the cases.","UCA analysts reviewed Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo) filings on depreciation schedules, a proposed depreciation reserve and a $572 million gas infrastructure plan, raising questions about accelerated depreciation, stranded-asset risk under the clean heat plan, and cost recovery for non-pipeline alternatives.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6173328,"UCA briefing: federal tax-credit rollbacks, LIHEAP uncertainty threaten Colorado decarbonization plans",2242,989000,3231000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88&start=989&end=3231","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5382692-499a89156d79f6934d20965f16331a88/thumbnail_989000.jpg","/articles/6173328/Colorado/UCA-briefing-federal-tax-credit-rollbacks-LIHEAP-uncertainty-threaten-Colorado-decarbonization-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173328-4b033a848d73409f8fdd0fd9318c05a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165995&Signature=cQvhZG0ob0nKcpJb4o2cB7FZfaHYFtYzdUVKbbteyrZdMy0uE3Eo2OkhmSpRBPzQmHRFRAwztsUqksmh2bY4T-zidbKxuJQ-L-hsosgJWO6twTd9PNznEvlKbwAf~hLjqTG1VKBRyx~x80yxqDkhFg~~cbJWsW0NCe3HKz3xFjwOfAhSu6XRCKWXgCAED7W37UudUADBhn2vzGXakDLIpanXwOPGJ6lASxs0SxUwv9VXDAJajXSbEONsNUABlw3DdvAmsOXfLqRWDKgFwGGhRJoacYMTQPQoMMQ16U~n-c3Esaegv-eH5J~vYoC4i9LKDUIaWCUNC1CNE9fw9UU99g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joe Pereira, deputy director at the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA), told the board that recent federal legislation – repeatedly described in the meeting as a large, economy-wide bill – changes the availability and timing of tax credits and federal programs that Colorado has relied on to lower consumer costs for clean energy upgrades.

Pereira said many central federal incentives for wind, solar, batteries and home electrification will begin to phase out on specific deadlines and that some loan and grant programs at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency have been rescinded. “The credits terminate, for solar and wind facilities that do not begin construction 12 months after enactment or are placed in service by the end of 2027,” he said, adding that other clean-energy credits end in 2030 or later. He warned those deadlines could leave projects selected in prior resource plans without promised tax support.

The issue matters for Colorado because the state’s decarbonization plans and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) resource acquisition processes embed assumptions about those federal incentives. “If those goals are not met, that may mean the programs or forecasts do not balance and then…there’s a negative cost benefit for customers on a program like that,” Pereira said, calling attention to the way load forecasts for transportation electrification and other programs flow into generation needs and rate impacts.

Pereira highlighted several concrete deadlines and program changes cited during his presentation: federal clean vehicle and certain commercial vehicle tax credits are set to be rescinded as of Oct. 1, 2025; energy-efficiency and residential clean energy credits would terminate for items placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025; several large production and investment tax credits for clean electricity and hydrogen have sunset or rollback dates in 2027 and 2028; and a 0-emission nuclear production tax credit terminates in 2030. He also said some DOE financing programs and EPA grant lines had been rescinded immediately under the legislation.

Pereira raised LIHEAP — the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program — as a separately urgent concern. He said Colorado has historically received between about $50 million and $150 million per year in LIHEAP funds, which are applied directly to utility bills for income-qualified customers. “If this program doesn’t continue, there will be customers that will either be shut off or accrue large balances of unpaid funds with the utilities,” he said, and added that those arrearages and unrecovered revenues can become utility bad debt that ultimately is recovered from the broader rate base.

Board members asked about practical effects and next steps. Pereira said the UCA and parties to pending PUC proceedings will press utilities to re-run modeling and bids under the new federal assumptions and that case-specific filings (certificates of public convenience and necessity and other proceedings) will be the points at which the agency can test whether project pricing still reflects valid tax-credit expectations. He told the board those rejections or price changes could translate to higher bills; he cited a range reported in early analyses that suggested implementation effects could translate into rough midrange increases in residential bills by 2035 under certain scenarios.

Several board members stressed the need to quantify risk and track projects in the pipeline. Former PUC Chairman Ron Lehr and other members noted that competitive procurement in prior cycles has yielded low resource prices and cautioned that transmission and integration costs still matter for large projects. Board members asked UCA staff to flag major pending projects that were priced with tax-credit-dependent assumptions and to update the board as litigation and case filings proceed.

Pereira closed by urging board members to view the changes as a shift in the underlying assumptions for planning and to anticipate continued case-by-case analysis at the PUC and in ongoing ERPs (electric resource plans).","UCA Deputy Director Joe Pereira told the board federal changes to production and investment tax credits, vehicle and residential incentives, and LIHEAP funding could raise costs for Colorado ratepayers and undermine forecasts that underlie state decarbonization planning.","actionData","errors"]

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UCA board approves agenda, minutes and adjourns — routine procedural votes

UCA staff flag stranded-asset risk in PSCo depreciation and gas infrastructure filings

UCA briefing: federal tax-credit rollbacks, LIHEAP uncertainty threaten Colorado decarbonization plans