Denver Council adopts proclamation backing gas planning pilot under House Bill 24-1370

The Denver City Council on Monday unanimously adopted a proclamation expressing support for Denverparticipating as a gas planning pilot community under House Bill 24-1370, a state law that directs the Colorado Energy Office and utilities to solicit and evaluate neighborhood-scale alternatives to natural gas infrastructure.

The proclamation, sponsored by Councilmember Paradis and co-sponsored by Councilmember Watson, says Denver will pursue pilot projects that could "decommission a portion of the gas distribution system or avoid new gas infrastructure" and calls out potential alternatives such as thermal energy networks and geothermal projects that use existing steam and chilled-water piping. The council voted 12-0 to adopt the proclamation.

The proclamation frames the pilot as part of Denver's broader climate and equity goals, noting targets in the city—ode to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for the city's municipal buildings to join a pilot utilizing an "ambient thermal loop" and geothermal sources.

"CASR has committed resources to fund the design and engineering, which is at no cost to rate payers," Paradis said during council discussion. "The pilot project would mainly serve municipal buildings, but the potential would be to try to serve many large buildings, public and private in the downtown area without adding substation capacity."

Councilmember Watson said the proclamationsupports Denver's participation in the process outlined by the bill and stressed that any project identified through the process "would have to be presented before the Public Utilities Commission for consideration and approval." He noted statutory filing deadlines set in the legislation for project applications: June 1, 2026 and June 1, 2027.

Dan Shay, a senior energy policy advisor with the city's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR), said the office will submit Denvers application to the state at the end of the week and described the work as "on the cutting edge of the clean energy transition." He told council the office sees the pilot as an opportunity to partner with Xcel Energy and explore neighborhood projects that could reduce future investment in fossil-gas infrastructure.

The proclamation notes health and equity concerns cited in the staff report, references prior studies on indoor air pollutants from gas combustion, and formally records the council's support for pursuing thermal network and geothermal options as part of Denver's participation in the state pilot process.

The proclamation passed by voice roll call with all 12 members recorded as voting aye.

Ending: If selected as a pilot community, Denver and Xcel would still be required to file any specific project applications with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission under the timelines specified in House Bill 24-1370; the council vote is a policy-level endorsement rather than a regulatory approval of a particular infrastructure change.