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Denver council moves contested Xcel franchise referral to voters after heated public comments
Summary
Denver City Council voted Monday to put a proposed 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy to the November ballot after a heated public hearing in which residents and advocates clashed over whether the city should require a separate, binding companion agreement addressing bill affordability and climate resilience.
Denver City Council voted Monday to refer a proposed 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy to the November ballot, clearing the way for voters to decide whether the utility will retain long-term rights to operate in the city’s public right-of-way. The decision followed a contentious public hearing in which community groups, labor unions, nonprofits and residents described sharply different expectations for what a multi-decade deal should include.
Supporters, including Xcel Energy executives and allied labor and nonprofit groups, said the agreement is necessary to protect reliability and to unlock investment in the electric distribution system. “We do want it referred to the ballot, and we do want it passed by…
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