Please send a personalized message today telling your state legislators to support SB26-102 to help control data center air pollution, water usage, energy burdens, noise and other local and statewide impacts, and to stop HB26-1030, which would give corporations $58 million in tax breaks to attract more new data centers.
For more details and a sample letter, please visit this PSR-Colorado webpage.
Chris Hoffman, Boulder Daily Camera, February 27th, 2026
In his recent column, Bjorn Lomborg says, “the global retreat from climate alarmism is a good thing.” There are two problems with this assertion: (1) There has not been a retreat; and (2) saying so, and saying that it’s “a good thing,” is not helpful.
About the “retreat” assertion: The Yale Program on Climate Change Communications has been studying opinions about climate change for over a decade. According to the Yale Program: “Over the past ten years, the Alarmed have grown more than any other audience, from 11% in 2015 to 25% in 2025 (+14 percentage points). Overall, Americans are becoming more worried about global warming, more engaged with the issue, and more supportive of climate solutions.”
Lomborg advances a lot of points that amount to cherry picking. Here’s what the London School of Economics has to say about his work: “Dr Lomborg provides a masterclass in the use of inaccurate and misleading sources to construct a bogus narrative.”
Finally, Bjorn Lomborg’s words are not helpful. In 2026, with climate-change-supersized floods, fires, droughts and hurricanes evident to all, we don’t have time for any more distractions from merchants of doubt. Exxon and other fossil fuel companies have been running the distraction play for almost half a century. The Keeling Curve keeps rising. It’s time to move on to solutions. And solutions exist … technical solutions such as solar energy, and policy solutions like a carbon tax that rebates money to households and boosts the economy.
I know that everyone has a lot on their minds right now, given the current political climate. But the physical climate that we depend on is a matter of physics and chemistry and won’t wait for us to calm down. Later is too late. Contact your local, state, and national legislators and demand meaningful climate action.
Chris Hoffman, Boulder
Chris Hoffman, Denver Post, February 22nd, 2026
Re: “Global energy demand is rising as Colorado is still restricting operations,” Feb. 15 commentary
In her opinion column on global energy demand, Lynn Granger creates a false dichotomy when she states, “Colorado politics has framed energy policy as a moral choice rather than a systems challenge.” Energy policy is both a moral choice and a systems challenge.
Given the scientific consensus that fossil fuels are the root cause of the climate crisis, and given the impacts we’ve seen here in Colorado — including the fires, floods, beetle-kill, meager snowpacks, and the dire condition of the Colorado River — doing anything other than constraining the burning of fossil fuels can be considered a crime against the people of Colorado.
And, given that the whole planet shares the same atmosphere, any steps that would perpetuate or increase the burning of fossil fuels in Colorado could readily be considered crimes against humanity. Energy policy is indeed a moral choice.
And energy policy is also a systems challenge. Our challenge is to transition our energy systems from huge, established, and entrenched extractive and polluting industries to systems more reliant on clean energy and more resilient to disruptions by climate-change-driven weather events.
Fortunately, many of the technologies we need are already available. And they are being implemented right here in Colorado. In 2024, Colorado overtook California as the EV capital of the United States with 25.3% in new EV sales. The electricity delivered by Holy Cross Energy was 85% clean last year.
We can get to a cleaner, safer, healthier future, but Ms. Granger’s false choice doesn’t help us.
Chris Hoffman, Boulder
March 12, 7 pm
Right now, most of us are tied to a single utility. We don’t get to shop around or choose where our energy comes from. Our energy bills keep rising while for-profit utilities like Xcel Energy are investing in risky fossil fuel projects and padding shareholder profits. It feels like we have no say in the matter, but that’s. not. true. The Sierra Club is launching a campaign to inform citizens about the current practices and policies of Xcel Energy and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and what we, as citizens and utility consumers, can do to help reform utility incentives and establish clear clean energy standards. We need to chart a more ambitious and responsible path toward a clean energy future in our state. First Universalist Church of Denver will host this virtual Living for our Future presentation with Sarah Tresedder from the Sierra Club and Jeff Ackermann the former chair of the PUC. The presentation will be held on Zoom and is free and open to all.
Please register here https://sierraclub.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iWM-zG7ISkCFe3cDK1LDQg#/registration
to get the Zoom link and spread the word. The presentation will be recorded and sent to all who register after the presentation.
Feb 21, 2026: 7:30 – 8:45
February 21 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm
In Golden, Colorado.
Farming in America is harder than ever. Drought, extreme weather, rising costs, development pressures, and labor challenges are pushing farmers to their limits. Meanwhile, climate change – the very force behind many of these struggles – is driving a surge in demand for clean energy, transforming farmland into solar fields. Save the Farm, Save the Future follows Colorado farmers and ranchers – from sheep and cattle ranchers to peach growers and small organic farmers – as they explore agrivoltaics, a promising new approach that combines solar power and agriculture on the same land. Can this innovation help save farms while meeting society’s need for renewable energy?
More than one showing is available: for more information, purchase of tickets, and to play the trailer see: SAVE THE FARM!
Learn more and register join this great group in Golden, Colorado.
Save the Farm with Solar Energy!
There are still tickets left for the screening of the Colorado #agrivoltaics documentary Save the Farm, Save the Future, at next week’s Colorado Environmental Film Festival!
Save the Farm, Save the Future follows Colorado farmers and ranchers – from sheep and cattle ranchers to peach growers and small organic farmers – as they explore agrivoltaics, a promising new approach that combines solar power and agriculture on the same land. Can this innovation help save farms while meeting society’s need for renewable energy? Check it out at this year’s CEFF in Golden!
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera on January 30th, 2026
You’ve probably noticed it. Xcel’s electric system is becoming increasingly expensive and increasingly unreliable. Great combo… Well, maybe not.
The sad news is “We ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Xcel’s rates are likely to go up — and their reliability is likely to go down. Hang on to your hats — and your bank accounts — and, yes, do make emergency plans and get a battery if you can.
What is a community to do?
First, it is important to understand the root causes of the situation.
Xcel is an investor-owned utility that has had a monopoly in its service territory for close to a century. While the people who work for Xcel are good, competent and caring people, monopolies are not known for their price discipline or their success in innovation.
While we now have three good Commissioners at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, it takes a long time to get an entity that hasn’t been well-regulated under control, and it is very difficult to have price discipline without competition.
While Xcel’s sales have been close to flat for the last 20 years, its after-tax profits have more than tripled, with Xcel having $782 million in after-tax net income in Colorado in 2024! That’s a lot of millions — but of course, a significant amount goes to Wall Street in dividends, not to our communities to build a 21st-century electrical system.
Xcel is in the process of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on what might be called “expensive Band-Aids” for their dilapidated 20th-century system of poles and wires. Those Band-Aids will drive up our rates because when Xcel spends money, we pay the bills. Yet these expensive Band-Aids are likely to fail at protecting us from wildfires or improving reliability in the face of the increasingly extreme weather driven by a warming planet.
Similar to the situation with an old car that requires expensive repairs, and is still unreliable, it becomes time to “bite the bullet,” take on a new car payment and get a new set of wheels. So it is with our electrical system. It is time for a new, 21st-century model.
The good news is we have much of the technology that will allow us to build a 21st-century electrical system with greatly reduced reliance on the vulnerable poles and wires of the 20th century.
The key is to put as much generation and storage as close to load as possible. Storage includes the very large batteries in electric vehicles, including trucks and buses.
While it can appear cheaper to build big wind, solar and gas plants a long way from where the electricity is needed, those calculations often ignore the often very high costs of transmission.
In addition, the costs of utility-scale generation often assume that outages have no costs — something that Boulder County residents and businesses know is clearly false. What are the costs of throwing out food or not being able to work or closing your business or of being very cold or not having the medical equipment you need to stay alive? Those costs are clearly not zero.
So instead of spending hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars on expensive Band-Aids for the 20th-century system, we need to get serious about adding as much solar and storage as close as possible to load and tying the solar and storage and electric vehicle batteries and flexible loads (like water heaters and other appliances) together with computers to make locally controlled microgrids and virtual power plants.
While Xcel has made some small and begrudging steps in the direction of microgrids and virtual power plants, they are overwhelmingly focused on building large, distant generation combined with expensive transmission and complex, vulnerable distribution systems. That approach requires large capital investments that Xcel can control, and the bigger their capital investments, the higher our rates and the bigger their profits.
The Boulder City Council is to be credited with deciding to focus on the reliability and resilience of our electrical system in 2026. Please talk to your local and state elected officials and let them know you want a 21st-century electrical system — not a 20th-century system with expensive and ineffectual Band-Aids.
Leslie Glustrom has been an intervenor and a participant at the Colorado PUC for over 20 years. She is a Senior Advisor to Clean Energy Action and a member of Empower Our Future and the Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate. She is trained as a biochemist and lives in Boulder.
SB26-192 | Producer Responsibility Dues Appeals Process | Concerning an appeals process for producers to contest the eco-modulated dues assessed against producers to finance the producer responsibility program for statewide recycling. | Sponsors: Sen Cutter, Reps Soper/Joseph (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The producer responsibility program for statewide recycling (program) provides recycling services to covered entities in the state and is financed through annual dues assessed against producers of products that use packaging materials and paper products (producers).
The bill reaffirms the authority of the solid and hazardous waste commission in the department of public health and environment (department) to direct an appeals process whereby producers may contest the program dues assessed against them by requesting a hearing before the producer responsibility program for statewide recycling advisory board (advisory board). If a producer requests a hearing before the advisory board, the advisory board is required to hold the hearing and issue written recommendations to the department as to whether the dues assessed against the producer should be adjusted. The department is required to make a determination whether to approve or reject the advisory board’s recommendations regarding the assessed dues within 45 days after receiving the advisory board’s recommendations on the matter. The department’s determination is a final agency action subject to judicial review. | Passed Committee, on Senate floor 05/11
HB26-1430 | Transportation Funding Adjustments | Concerning adjustments to transportation funding. | Sponsors: Reps Boesenecker/Sirota, Sens Lindstedt/Amabile | SUMMARY: Contingent upon voter approval of a proposed initiative to amend the state constitution to change existing law on transportation funding and to increase the amount of state revenue dedicated to road transportation (proposed initiative), from January 1, 2027, through July 1, 2030, the bill reduces: The excise tax on gasoline from $0.22 per gallon to $0.14 per gallon; The excise tax on special fuel from $0.215 to $0.13 per gallon; Certain vehicle registration fees, including late fees; and The road usage fees initially from $0.06 to $0.04 per gallon, and then as necessary to offset the amount of state revenue diverted to transportation uses as the result of a proposed initiative.
The bill also creates the support road transportation fund (fund) contingent upon voter approval of the proposed initiative. The fund consists of state revenue dedicated to road transportation by the proposed initiative. Money in the fund is used to replace certain transportation-related general fund transfers for payments for the financed purchase of assets or certificate of participation agreements, and to replace certain general fund transfers to the state highway fund. The money remaining in the fund after making these transfers is allocated as follows: 60% is paid to the state highway fund; 23% is paid to counties for certain transportation expenses; and 17% is paid to cities and incorporated towns for certain transportation expenses.
Lastly, the bill clarifies that state revenue collected to support road transportation, as defined in the proposed initiative, does not include enterprise fee revenue. | Hearing House Transp 05/05
SB26-182 | Updated Clean Energy Plan Municipally Owned Utility aka “The Ray Nixon Bill” | Concerning an updated clean energy plan from a municipally owned utility. | Sponsors: Sens Snyder/Simpson, Reps Caldwell/Paschal (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: Current law requires certain entities to file, or allows certain entities to voluntarily file, a clean energy plan to achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions caused by the entity’s electricity sales in Colorado by 2030, relative to 2005 levels (2030 emission reductions).
A municipally owned utility that has encountered challenges in achieving the 2030 emission reductions may submit to the CDPHE, no later than December 31, 2026, an updated clean energy plan that demonstrates achievement of the 2030 emission reductions by the earliest date possible on or after December 31, 2029, but no later than December 31, 2032.
A municipally owned utility that submits an updated clean energy plan to the division must:
The updated clean energy plan must be verified by the division, and the municipally owned utility must pay all costs for the verification. | Passed Hearing, on Senate floor
HB26-1420 | Wind Energy Facilities Light-Mitigating Technology | Concerning changes to the approval process for light-mitigating technology that is required to be installed at certain wind-powered energy generation facilities. | Sponsors: Reps Paschal/Richardson, Sens Kolker/Pelton R (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: In 2022, the general assembly enacted Senate Bill 22-110 to require an owner or operator of a new wind-powered energy generation facility (facility) to install light-mitigating technology designed to detect aircraft (technology) at the facility and to obtain federal aviation administration (FAA) approval before installing the technology. An owner or operator of a facility can request from the governing body of the local government in which the facility is located an extension of up to 24 months to install the technology.
The bill requires the owner or operator of a facility to also obtain federal communications commission (FCC) approval for installation of the technology and requires that a governing body of a local government grant an owner or operator of a facility an extension of time to install the technology if FAA, FCC, or other federal agency approval is delayed. The bill also requires that an extension of time granted by the governing body of a local government is at least 24 months in duration. | Hearing House Transp 04/28
SB26-171 | Disposal of Preproduction Plastic Materials | Concerning prohibiting the disposal of preproduction plastic materials at a location that does not have a certificate of designation to operate as a solid waste disposal site and facility. | Sponsors: Sens Cutter/Wallace | Summary | Senate Bill 26-016, enacted in 2026, prohibits a person from disposing of preproduction plastic materials at a location that does not have federal interim status, a federal permit granted pursuant to the federal ‘Solid Waste Disposal Act’, or a state permit for the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste at a hazardous waste site. The bill removes this prohibition and instead prohibits the disposal of preproduction plastic materials at a location that is not a solid wastes disposal site and facility with a certificate of designation. | Hearing House T&E 04/27
SB26-172 | Front Range Passenger Rail District | Concerning the front range passenger rail district. | Sponsors: Sens Hinrichsen/Kipp, Reps Boesenecker/Paschal | SUMMARY: The bill makes a number of changes to the boundaries and operation of the front range passenger rail district (district). The bill changes the boundaries of the district to include certain listed municipalities, any municipality whose governing board and, if necessary, electors, consent for the municipality to be included in the district, certain listed metropolitan districts, and any metropolitan district whose governing board consents for the metropolitan district to be included in the district and that is identified for inclusion in the district by a board resolution. It requires that directors of the board appointed on or after July 1, 2026, reside within the district, unless that director is already serving on the board, and it changes the method for determining the distribution of the costs of a district or subdistrict election. Under the new method, the costs of such an election are distributed in the same method and manner as state primary, coordinated, general, congressional vacancy, special legislative, or recall elections conducted after July 1, 2024 and also requires that any constitutionally required notice for a district or subdistrict election be included in the ballot information booklet. | Hearing Senate T&E 04/27
SB26-165 | Species Conservation Measures | Concerning measures to support species conservation, and, in connection therewith, authorizing an appropriation from the species conservation trust fund. | Sponsors: Sens Roberts/Pelton R, Reps McCormick/Soper (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: For state fiscal year 2026-27, the bill appropriates $5,000,000 from the species conservation trust fund in the state treasury for various wildlife conservation programs directed at conserving candidate species or species that are likely to become candidate species, as determined by the United States fish and wildlife service. The executive director of the Colorado department of natural resources, after consulting with the Colorado water conservation board, the parks and wildlife commission, and the director of the division of parks and wildlife, has submitted to the general assembly a list of programs and associated costs that are eligible to receive funding from the species conservation trust fund as follows:
HB26-1340 | Revegetate or Dry Farm Formerly Irrigated Agricultural Land | Concerning requirements for formerly irrigated agricultural land for which an agricultural irrigation water right in water division 2 is changed to another beneficial use. | Sponsors: Rep Winter, Sens Pelton R/Hinrichsen (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill requires a water right owner who changes the use of their water right in water division 2 from agricultural irrigation purposes to another beneficial use on or after January 1, 2027, to engage in revegetation or a conversion to dryland farming with effective erosion control and weed management on the formerly irrigated agricultural land. The bill implements a procedure that includes:
SB26-146 | Restrict Single-Use Food Serviceware Distribution | Concerning restricting the distribution of single-use food serviceware. | Sponsors: Sen Cutter, Rep Froelich | SUMMARY: The bill expands the ‘Plastic Pollution Reduction Act’ by prohibiting, on and after January 1, 2027, a retail food establishment or third-party food delivery service from providing single-use food serviceware to a customer unless the customer requests it. Enforced by CDPHE webpage.
SB26-147 | Lobbyist Regulation | Concerning the regulation of lobbyists. | Sponsors: Sens Cutter/Pelton R, Reps Johnson/Froelich (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill allows a person to select a day (advocacy day) that individuals may lobby a covered official on the person’s behalf (advocacy day participant). A person who will have an advocacy day participant lobby a covered official on their behalf during an advocacy day must register and file specified information with the general assembly for each advocacy day during which an advocacy day participant is expected to participate. An advocacy day may only occur if the person has filed the form and the general assembly is in a regular or special session.
A lobby day participant must not accept compensation for lobbying that day, lobby on behalf of a person not registered with the general assembly, lobby outside of a one-mile radius of the state capitol, or lobby on a day other than that designated as an advocacy day. (OK this is BS! How dare you restrict a citizen from how often/when/where they can advocate for/against any number of issues/bills?)
The bill creates a nonprofit advocate role which is not a professional lobbyist but must comply with the registration and disclosure requirements of professional lobbyists and adds a legislative liaison for the judicial department. (Gee thanks for sticking me with all the requirements of lobbyists but a bunch of restrictions they don’t have, plus less/no pay.)
SB26-148 | Financing Utility On-Bill Repayment Program | Concerning financing a utility on-bill repayment program to support certain energy-related upgrades. | Sponsors: Sens Ball/Mullica, Reps Joseph/Camacho | SUMMARY: The Colorado Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) is a nonprofit institution with experience administering clean energy financing programs and is the designated green bank for the federal EPA region 8. The bill directs the state treasurer to, on August 15, 2026, execute a loan agreement with the CCEF for a low-interest loan of $50 million from the unclaimed property trust fund.The purpose of the loan is to capitalize and expand the CCEF’s on-bill repayment program and to accelerate utility adoption of the program.
The Colorado energy office is required to review the design of the program before August 1, 2026. The bill specifies certain requirements for the program and for a utility to access the funding for the program, including requirements related to disclosures, notices, transfers of responsibility for an on-bill repayment obligation, and interest rates.
The CCEF is required to submit annual reports to the joint budget committee, the Colorado energy office, and the state treasurer detailing the deployment of the program.
HB26-1337 | Facilitating Nuclear Energy Development | Concerning facilitating the development of nuclear energy projects in the state. | Sponsors: Reps Valdez/Winter (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill requires the Colorado energy office (office) to serve as the state’s permitting coordinator for nuclear energy projects. The office is required to:
The bill requires an IOU with more than 500,000 customers to:
The bill states that an investor-owned electric utility may submit to the commission, and the commission is required to approve, an application to expend and recover up to $20 million to finance studies regarding potential sites, facility designs, and other activities related to the development of nuclear energy projects in the state. The bill requires the commission to issue an approval or denial of a petition from an investor-owned electric utility regarding a cost-recovery mechanism for a nuclear energy project no later than 6 months after receiving the petition.
The bill establishes a statewide goal of identifying at least one nuclear energy project site by 2035 and beginning construction of at least one nuclear energy project by 2040. Recommendation: OPPOSE OF COURSE! Why should we front the nuclear crowd $20M when we’re cutting our own budget by billions every year?
SB26-142 | Development of Thermal Energy Resources | Concerning the development of thermal energy resources. | Sponsors: Sen Ball, Reps Joseph/Gonzales | SUMMARY: A qualifying entity is an industrial or commercial facility operator that recovers thermal energy as a by-product of its primary industrial or commercial processes. The bill permits the sale of recovered thermal energy by a qualifying entity under certain conditions.
The bill also increases the net electric generating capacity of a community geothermal garden from 5 megawatts to 25 megawatts. The bill requires a qualifying retail utility to purchase a minimum amount of electricity from community geothermal gardens, as determined by the public utilities commission.
The bill requires the ECMC and the Colorado geological survey to collect data and information related to the development of geological resources in the state. The commission shall make recommendations to encourage safe and effective development of geothermal resources and report those recommendations to the general assembly on or before November 15, 2026. (Wow, that’s quick! Typo?)
The utility must solicit proposals for the development of 25MW and larger. The utility may submit the proposals to the PUC as part of the utility’s next electric resource planning filing. A utility may also partner with a specific customer or group of customers to develop geothermal projects if the specific customer agrees to certain conditions, such as covering at least 50% of the cost of development of the project. | Recommendation: SUPPORT
HB26-1326 | Sunset Public Utilities Commission | Concerning the continuation of the public utilities commission, and, in connection therewith, implementing recommendations in the 2025 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies. | Sponsors: Reps Duran/Willford, Sens Rodriguez/Cutter | SUMMARY: Sunset Process – House Energy and Environment Committee. The bill implements recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies in its 2025 sunset review of the public utilities commission (commission) as follows: (Ed note: I’ve stripped the Telecomm and Transp Co oversight responsibilities sections from the summary since they’re not climate-related)
SB26-137 | Measures to Reduce Administrative Burdens | Concerning measures to reduce administrative burdens, and, in connection therewith, making changes to the mandatory review of department rules by each principal department and clarifying the attorney general’s scope of authority related to litigation discovery. | Sponsors: Sens Coleman/Simpson, Reps McCluskie/Caldwell (bi-partisan house & senate leadership both parties) | SUMMARY: Current law requires each principal department (department) to establish a schedule to review all of its rules. The bill requires the review to occur at least every 5 years. Current law directs each department to make certain determinations when conducting the review of the rules. The bill requires the following additional determinations:
Current law requires each department to present a report at its ‘SMART Act’ hearing regarding its mandatory review of all rules. The bill permits the committee of reference presiding over the ‘SMART Act’ hearing to determine whether a program or function subject to the rules should be subject to a sunset review and to provide to the legislative audit committee its departmental regulatory agenda for the audit committee to determine whether a program or function subject to the rule should be subject to a performance or financial audit.
The bill clarifies the attorney general’s responsibility regarding litigation discovery on behalf of the state of Colorado or on behalf of the people of the state of Colorado. | OPPOSE
HB26-1310 | Wildfire Resiliency Grant Money | Concerning requirements for state money that is used for wildfire resiliency activities. | Sponsor: Rep Story | SUMMARY: The bill requires the general assembly, starting in state fiscal year 2027-28, to appropriate certain amounts to the wildfire resilient homes grant program cash fund, which amounts must be based on the amount of money in the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund that is used to fund grants in the prior state fiscal year. In awarding home hardening grants through the wildfire resilient homes grant program, the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety is required to prioritize homeowners who are income qualified or who lack the ability to perform the home hardening work because of age, disability, or illness.
HB26-1323 | Wildfire Resiliency Prohibiting Taking of Beavers | Concerning wildfire resiliency through a prohibition on the taking of beavers on public land in the state. | Sponsors: Reps Lindsay/Velasco, Sens Cutter/Kipp | SUMMARY: The bill prohibits the taking of beavers on public land for a recreational purpose or commerce in beaver fur, parts, or products. The parks and wildlife commission may adopt rules to implement the prohibition and, if the commission adopts rules, the rules must ensure that the role of beavers in the wildfire resiliency of public land is protected. A violation of the prohibition carries certain penalties.
HB26-1303 | Technical Changes to Energy & Carbon Management Statutes | Concerning technical changes to energy and carbon management statutes. | Sponsors: Reps Bradley/Carter, Sens Ball/Catlin (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill makes 2 revisions to energy and carbon management statutes. First, the bill amends the terminology used to describe an examination that welders working on oil and gas process lines are required to pass to obtain certification. Current law requires the energy and carbon management commission (commission) to adopt rules to require certification for welders working on oil and gas process lines, including rules that require passing an exam. Current law refers to the exam as “the International Code Council Exam F31, national standard journeyman mechanical, or an analogous successor exam” (F31 exam). The F31 exam is not applicable to welders. The bill changes the reference to instead refer to certain other examinations that are applicable to welders in the oil and gas industry. Second, in certain instances, the bill changes “oil and gas operations” to “energy and carbon management operations” to ensure uniformity of terminology and to align statutory references to “operations” to those operations that are within the scope of the commission’s regulatory authority.
HB26-1304 | History Colorado to Dispose of Mineral Rights | Concerning the authority of history Colorado to dispose of rights related to minerals, and, in connection therewith, authorizing the disposal of Weld County rights and West Virginia rights. | Sponsors: Reps Lindsay/Winter, Sens Pelton/Hinrichsen (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill authorizes the state historical society, also known as history Colorado, to sell mineral rights and nonparticipating royalty interests that are referred to as its Weld County rights and West Virginia rights. History Colorado is required to credit the proceeds of the sale to the state museum cash fund to be used for a strategic investment in capital improvements, including the retrofitting of the collections care facility and controlled maintenance.
SB26-122 | Fuel Standards & Liability of Petroleum Storage Tank Fund | Concerning liquid fuels, and, in connection therewith, increasing the maximum amount of liability of the petroleum storage tank fund for individual incidents and allowing the director of the division of oil and public safety to adopt a rule or issue policy guidance that provides exceptions to specific requirements established in an ASTM standard for petroleum products. | Sponsors: Sens Pelton R/Roberts, Rep Winter (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: Under current law, the maximum amount of liability of the petroleum storage tank fund for an individual occurrence of a leak, spill, or release of a petroleum product from an underground storage tank (occurrence) is $2,000,000. The bill increases the maximum liability to $2,500,000 per occurrence. Additionally, an owner or operator of an underground or aboveground storage tank (owner or operator) may exceed this amount of liability with the permission of the director of the division of oil and public safety (director) and the petroleum storage tank committee (committee). If the director and the committee grant such permission, the director and committee shall establish a new maximum amount of liability per occurrence for the owner or operator.
Under current law, all class I, II, and III liquid fuel products must comply with the most current applicable standards of ASTM International. The bill allows the director to adopt a rule or issue policy guidance that provides exceptions to specific requirements established in an ASTM standard.
HB26-1213 | Sunset Biomass Utilization Grant Program | Concerning the continuation of the biomass utilization grant program, and, in connection therewith, implementing the recommendation contained in the 2025 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies to repeal the biomass utilization grant program. | Sponsors: Reps Smith/McCormick, Sen Wallace | SUMMARY: The bill implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies’ 2025 sunset review and report on the biomass utilization grant program by repealing the biomass utilization grant program.
HB26-1219 | Battery Assessment Submission Deadline Change | Concerning extending the deadline by which a battery stewardship organization must submit an assessment regarding the end-of-life management of certain batteries to the general assembly. | Reps Bradley/Espenoza, Sens Ball/Rich (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: Statutory Revision Committee. Senate Bill 25-163, enacted in 2025, requires a battery stewardship organization to complete an assessment of the opportunities and challenges associated with the end-of-life management of certain batteries in the state. A battery stewardship organization gets a reprieve until December 1, 2028, and submit the completed assessment to the general assembly on or before March 1, 2029 (delayed for one year from the original bill).
HB26-1225 | Distributed Energy Resources Requirements| Concerning requirements to foster distributed energy resources in the state. | Sponsors: Reps Smith/Willford, Sen Ball | SUMMARY: Under current law, each subscriber to a community solar garden receives a net metering credit to their electric bill. The community solar subscriber organization can choose between a fixed bill credit or a bill credit that is adjusted annually. The bill states that, on and after July 1, 2026, an annual adjustment mechanism must be applied to fixed bill credit rates to index the value of the fixed bill credit to changing rate trends. (No more adjustable credits.) The bill prohibits a public utility from requiring an interconnection customer to pay the costs associated with interconnection facilities and upgrades until 30 days before the public utility incurs the costs. The bill allows a public utility to require an interconnection customer to provide security for the estimated full costs of interconnection at the time of mutual execution of an interconnection agreement. | SUPPORT
The bill requires a public utility to:
An interconnection study and upgrades that are performed by a contracted third party must meet applicable safety, reliability, labor, and technical standards.
HB26-1226 | Manage Emissions from Electric Generating Units | Concerning measures to reduce emissions from certain electric generating units in the state. | Sponsors: Reps Willford/Froelich, Sens Weissman/Cutter | SUMMARY: Section 2 of the bill requires the air quality control commission, no later than December 31, 2029, to adopt a final rule (rule) establishing certain limits on the emission of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide from an electric generating unit (coal plant) that is owned or operated by an electric utility, is located in the state, and emitted 200 tons or more of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, or both in calendar year 2024. The rule must require compliance with the emission limits as soon as practicable after December 31, 2030, and must not cover units that have ceased operations, burn natural gas or fuel oil only, or have certain systems installed before December 31, 2029. The owner or operator of a covered electric generating unit is required to provide quarterly emission reports showing compliance with the rule to the CDPHE.
Section 3 requires an investor-owned utility or wholesale electric cooperative that is the owner or operator of a unit, beginning 150 days after the issuance of a federal order requiring the unit to remain operating after the unit was scheduled to retire (order) and continuing every 90 days until the order is no longer in effect, to file a report with the public utilities commission (commission) that contains certain information about the costs to operate the unit and the amount of electricity generated by the unit. The commission must make these reports publicly available.
Section 3 also allows an investor-owned utility to submit an application for a financing order to recover the costs of complying with an order.
Section 3 also requires that, if the commission issues a written decision approving a portfolio that consists of supply-side resources for an investor-owned utility serving more than 500,000 customers, the commission must approve a total amount of accredited capacity for the investor-owned utility to reliably implement certain retirement dates or operational restrictions applicable to the investor-owned utility’s covered electric generating unit and comply with any applicable carbon dioxide emission reduction requirements. This accredited capacity requirement applies to an investor-owned utility serving more than 500,000 customers until the division determines that the investor-owned utility has achieved certain carbon dioxide emission reductions or until the investor-owned utility has retired all covered electric generating units, whichever is later. | SUPPORT
HB26-1246 | Consumer-Regulated Electric Utilities | Concerning the establishment of consumer-regulated electric utilities to serve new nonresidential electric loads, and, in connection therewith, exempting consumer-regulated electric utilities from certain public utility regulations while maintaining oversight for public safety and environmental protection. | The bill defines a “consumer-regulated electric utility” as an electric generation and supply system constructed for the sole purpose of serving new industrial, commercial, data center, or other nonresidential loads not previously served by a provider of retail electric service.
The bill states that a consumer-regulated electric utility is not a public utility and is not subject to regulation by the public utilities commission (commission), unless the consumer-regulated electric utility elects to interconnect with the electric grid in a service territory of a public utility that is subject to regulation by the commission.
A consumer-regulated electric utility may construct and operate a facility within an existing public right-of-way, subject to applicable permitting, restoration, and public safety requirements.
HB26-1266 | Repeal Retail Delivery Fees | Concerning the repeal of retail delivery fees. | Sponsors: Rep Woog/Sen Pelton | SUMMARY: A retail delivery is a retail sale of tangible personal property that is subject to state sales tax by a retailer for delivery by a motor vehicle to the purchaser at any location in the state. As authorized by current law, retail delivery fees are imposed on each retail delivery by the:
Effective 90 days after the final adjournment of the general assembly in 2026, the bill eliminates the retail delivery fees. | OPPOSE
HB26-1268 | Renewable Energy Development on Disturbed Lands | Concerning measures to advance renewable energy projects on previously disturbed lands through the designation of renewable energy reinvestment areas. | Sponsors: Reps McCormick/Smith | SUMMARY: Section 1 of the bill authorizes a local government with permitting authority over land uses (local government) to designate one or more areas within the jurisdiction of the local government as renewable energy reinvestment areas for the siting of renewable energy and energy storage system projects (eligible projects). In designating an area as a renewable energy reinvestment area, the local government must hold at least one public hearing, engage in outreach of disproportionately impacted communities, and ensure that an eligible project may be permitted and constructed pursuant to an administrative approval process based solely on the eligible project’s compliance with objective standards.
If an eligible project is sited in a renewable energy reinvestment area, an urban renewal authority or county revitalization authority (tax increment financing authority) may distribute tax revenue to finance any public infrastructure needed for the eligible project in a manner consistent with the tax increment financing authority’s governing statutes.
Section 1 requires a utility to respond to a request made by a local government or an eligible project developer for interconnection information regarding the proposed site of an eligible project within 30 days after the request is made.
Section 2 requires the Colorado energy office to consolidate, publish on its website, and periodically update information and resources concerning the process for siting, permitting, and developing eligible projects in renewable energy reinvestment areas. | SUPPORT
HB26-1269 | Transit Access | Concerning (hardship) transit access. | Sponsors: Reps Ricks/Joseph | SUMMARY: The bill requires certain transit agencies (covered transit agencies) to take specific actions in the following areas to increase transit access:
HB26-1272 | Extreme Temperatures Worker Protections | Concerning protections for workers necessitated by climate change. | Sponsors: Rep Froelich/Velasco, Sens Cutter/Weissman | SUMMARY: The bill requires the department of labor and employment (CDLE), on or before January 1, 2027, to begin collecting data concerning temperature-related injury or illness or temperature-related emergencies at worksites in the state, including by requiring the division of labor standards and statistics (division) to:
On or before January 1, 2028, the bill requires the division to develop a model temperature-related injury and illness prevention plan (TRIIPP) that thereafter must be made available on CDLE’s website.
Employers of workers who are exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures at worksites are required to develop and submit a TRIIPP to the division on or before September 1, 2028, and the division is required to develop procedures regarding how often employers will be required to submit an updated TRIIPP and how the division will handle review of TRIIPPs.
Lastly, the bill requires CDLE to develop training standards related to temperature safety and ensure that employers are providing proper training to workers who are affected by extreme temperatures. | SUPPORT
HB26-1278 | Local Government Approval of Transmission Infrastructure | Concerning the preservation of local land use authority by requiring local government approval before an investor-owned electric utility may commence a condemnation proceeding for high-voltage transmission infrastructure. | Sponsors: Rep Richardson, Sens Pelton/Snyder (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill requires that an investor-owned electric utility (IOU) receive a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the PUC and obtain all necessary local government land use approvals and permits prior to initiating any condemnation proceedings related to a high-voltage transmission infrastructure project requiring the certificate. The bill does not change existing application and review processes related to the development of transmission projects that have been established by the PUC or a relevant local government.
Click on the Bill Name to read the bill details
Hearings Upon Adjournment begin when floor work is done. See the House or Senate calendar on the day of the hearing to determine the hearing approximate start.
Appropriations Committees do not hear testimony.
To testify—in person, via zoom, or in writing, 5
Wed 02/25 UPON ADJOURNMENT | House Energy & Environment (E&E) | Old State Library (2nd floor between the elevators)
| Hearing Item | HB26-1112Regulation of Underground Injection Control Wells |
| Hearing Item | HB26-1124Electrical Generation & Distribution Resiliency |
Wed 02/25 1:30p | Senate Transportation & Energy (T&E) | SCR 352 (3rd floor hallway between the elevators)
| Hearing Item | Clean Fleet Enterprise : Allison, Tayer |
| Hearing Item | Clean Fleet Enterprise : Mijares |
| Hearing Item | SB26-035Increase of Traffic Violation Penalties |
| Hearing Item | SB26-003End-of-Life Management of Electric Vehicle Batteries |
| Hearing Item | SB26-026Weight for Vehicles with Child Restraint System |
THU 02/26 – 1:30p | House Energy & Environment (E&E) | Old State Library (2nd floor between the elevators)
| Hearing Item | HB26-1081Optimize Colorado Electric Transmission System |
| Hearing Item | HB26-1121Public Accessibility of Emissions Records |
| Hearing Item | HB26-1007Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources aka Balcony/Plug-In Solar |
| Hearing Item | HB26-1226Manage Emissions from Electric Generating Units (aka Coal Plant Emissions) |
| Hearing Item | Sunset Review of Public Utilities Comission (discussion not a bill) |
Wed 03/04 – 1:30p | Senate Transportation & Energy (T&E) | SCR 352 (3rd floor hallway between the elevators)
| Hearing Item | Building Decarbonization Enterprise Board : Nelson, Millard, Truitt, Martinez, Gretka, Schubert |
| Sponsors | N/A |
| Hearing Item | SB26-002Energy Affordability (PIPP expansion) |
| Hearing Item | HB26-1041Electronic Vehicle Records |
HB26-1205 | Colorado State Forest Service Good Neighbor Authority | Concerning changes to state law to reflect the federal expansion of good neighbor authority agreements. | Sponsors: Reps Velasco/Mauro | SUMMARY: The bill changes changes the names of the federal agencies to conform with the Department of War or whatever nonsense is going on in the billionaires playground, and makes explicit in statute that in our state, land management includes outdoor recreation opportunities (not just extraction and exploitation).
HB26-1208 | Sunset (continue) Compliance Advisory Panel Air Pollution | Concerning the continuation of the compliance advisory panel to the air pollution control division in the department of public health and environment, and, in connection therewith, implementing the recommendation contained in the 2025 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies. | Sponsors: Rep Velasco, Sens Lindstedt/Exum | SUMMARY: Sunset Process – House Energy and Environment Committee. Pursuant to the recommendation in the 2025 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies, the bill continues the compliance advisory panel (panel) to the air pollution control division in the department of public health and environment indefinitely. | SUPPORT
SB26-101 | Local Government Landfill Methane Emission Reduction Regulations | Concerning measures to assist local governments in (NOT) complying with landfill methane emission reduction regulations adopted by the air quality control commission. | Sponsor: Pelton B | SUMMARY: This bill Allows a county to utilize money from the community impact cash fund, air quality enterprise cash fund, and local government mineral impact fund for the purpose of complying; requires the air quality enterprise to research best practices for reducing methane emissions from landfills
SB26-102 | Large-Load Data Centers | Concerning measures to ensure accountability for large-load data centers. | Sponsors: Sen Kipp, Rep Brown | SUMMARY: The bill creates certain requirements for large-load data centers, which are defined in the bill as:
No later than June 30, 2030, the public utilities commission (commission) is required to make a determination on whether 100% hourly matching by large-load data centers is technically and economically feasible. If the commission determines that 100% hourly matching is not technically and economically feasible, the commission must make a determination of the highest percentage of hourly matching by large-load data centers that is technically and economically feasible (hourly matching requirement), which percentage the commission must update on a regular basis.
Beginning January 1, 2031, an operator of a large-load data center (operator) must generate, purchase, or otherwise acquire a quantity of electricity generated from renewable resources necessary to meet 100% of the operator’s large-load data center’s total annual electricity consumption. An operator must also achieve the hourly matching requirement. An operator must comply with these requirements through a tariff, contract, or program entered into with a utility, one or more power purchase agreements entered into with an independent power producer, or a self-supply of electricity.
An operator must enter into contracts of at least 15 years with a utility to pay for certain infrastructure and resource costs. An operator must also contribute to utility demand-side management programs and comply with certain operational water management and on-site backup generation requirements.
No later than June 30, 2028, and no later than each June 30 thereafter, an operator must report to the department of public health and environment certain information about the large-load data center, including information about the large-load data center’s annual electricity and water consumption. The department of public health and environment must compile the information reported and provide a report to the general assembly and commission and make the report publicly available on the department’s website.
A utility is prohibited from interconnecting or supplying electricity to a large-load data center unless:
A utility is prohibited from offering economic development rates to large-load data centers and is required to develop and offer demand response programs or flexible connection tariffs to the utility’s customers that are operators. A utility is required to solicit and accept voluntary financial contributions from operators to certain utility programs, which contributions must supplement, rather than substitute, the utility’s funding of those programs. A utility that is rate-regulated by the commission with customers that are operators is required to describe efforts to comply with the bill in the utility’s annual report filed with the commission.
On or before June 30, 2027, the department of local affairs must publish model codes for the development of large-load data centers, which model codes must consider certain best practices. In developing the model codes, the department of local affairs must conduct a robust stakeholder and engagement process and evaluate, update, and review the model codes every 5 years.
With its development permit application for a large-load data center, the person responsible for the initial development of a large-load data center (developer) must submit a site assessment to the local government reviewing the application. A site assessment must include certain components.
If the siting of a large-load data center is proposed in a disproportionately impacted community or if an operator of an existing data center in a disproportionately impacted community plans to expand the data center’s peak load such that the data center will become a large-load data center, the developer or operator must undergo a cumulative impacts analysis before the development or expansion begins. The developer or operator is required to contract with a third-party contractor selected by the department of public health and environment to perform the cumulative impacts analysis.
In reviewing a development permit application for a large-load data center that is in a disproportionately impacted community or is proposed to be in a disproportionately impacted community, the applicable local government is required to consider the applicant’s cumulative impacts analysis and whether the mitigation strategies described by the applicant are sufficient to avoid any negative impacts identified in the cumulative impacts analysis. Prior to applying for a development permit that is in a disproportionately impacted community or is proposed to be in a disproportionately impacted community, a developer or operator must comply with certain public hearing, notice, and community outreach requirements.
If the siting of a large-load data center is proposed in a disproportionately impacted community or if an operator of an existing data center in a disproportionately impacted community plans to expand the data center’s peak load such that the data center will become a large-load data center, the developer or operator must enter into a community benefit agreement with the disproportionately impacted community before the development or expansion begins. The developer is required to consult with the applicable local government and certain coalition groups and consider certain topics during community benefit agreement negotiations.
An operator is required to comply with certain labor standards. | SUPPORT
SB26-107 | Modify Colorado Open Records Act | Concerning modifications to the “Colorado Open Records Act”. | Sponsors: Sens Kipp/Rich, Reps Soper/Carter (bi-partisan) | SUMMARY: The bill makes the following changes to the “Colorado Open Records Act” (CORA):
HB26-1081 | Optimize Colorado Electric Transmission System | Concerning measures to optimize Colorado’s electric transmission system. | Sponsors: Reps Comacho/Duran, Sen Roberts | SUMMARY: Section 3 of the bill defines “advanced transmission technologies” as hardware or software technologies that increase the capacity, efficiency, reliability, or resiliency of an existing or new transmission facilities. Requires the PUC to adopt rules requiring a regulated electric utility to consider advanced transmission technologies in the electric utility’s 10-year transmission plan and to identify strategies to reduce the costs of new transmission. Requires the Colorado electric transmission authority (CETA) to, as much as practicable, engage and coordinate with formal subregional transmission planning organization. Adds a non-voting member of the PUC to CETA. | SUPPORT
HB26-1112 | Regulation of Underground Injection Control Wells | Concerning state regulation of underground injection control wells. | Sponsors: Reps Paschal/Smith, Sens Hinrichsen/Simpson | SUMMARY: The bill grants the ECMC authority over class I (hazardous waste disposal using fracking), class IV (hazardous/radioactive waste into shallow wells), and class V (non hazardous waste into/above drinking water) injection wells and allows the commission to seek and adopt rules related to primacy from the United States EPA. A person that willfully violates a rule, permit, authorization, or order of the commission related to these classes of injection wells commits a misdemeanor and is subject to certain penalties. The bill also grants the mined land reclamation boardauthority over class III (chemicals that dissolve and extract minerals) injection wells and allows the board to seek primacy from the EPA. The board may assess and collect fees related to the regulation of class III injection wells. The bill also provides that a class III injection well is not eligible for an exemption from designated mining operation status, which status subjects the operator to certain rules adopted by the board. I’d say what the frack, but the ECMC has. BIG PROBLEM WITH FASIFYING DATA! Hundreds of wells that were supposed to be plugged and abandoned weren’t, and last month the ECMC admitted that even though this happened more than a year ago, they’re still trying to ‘get their arms around’ the scope of the problem. PLUS, current disposal of millions of gallons of toxic produced water—according to the reports the ECMC accepted—are being injected into closed, abandoned, and nonexistent facilities! | OPPOSE
HB26-1121 | Public Accessibility of Emissions Records | Concerning requiring public accessibility of stationary source emissions records. | Sponsors: Reps Marshall/Garcia, Sens Cutter/Kipp | SUMMARY: Beginning January 1, 2028, the bill requires a person that owns, leases, operates, controls, or supervises a building, structure, facility, or installation that emits or may emit an air pollutant (owner or operator) to make all emissions records that the owner or operator is required by state or federal law to maintain (records) publicly available and accessible on the owner or operator’s public website. Except in certain circumstances, the owner or operator is required to update the records following the same schedule as the records are made available to the state or the United States. These requirements apply only to records that are generated on or after December 1, 2027. | SUPPORT
HB26-1124 | Electrical Generation & Distribution Resiliency | Concerning the resiliency of the systems that provide electricity. | Sponsor: DeGraaf | SUMMARY: The bill creates the Colorado electric grid resiliency task force (task force) to study the issue of grid resilience and to make recommendations to the governor and the general assembly. The task force is 18 members. The task force must meet monthly, which the legislators appointed get paid for, but nobody else does! The task force must do a rigorous, uniform engineering assessment of every covered transformer in Colorado; develop a hardening and spare-transformer plan with cost estimates, cost-benefit analyses, and recommended funding mechanisms. Biennially, the PUC must prepare a report and adopt rules requiring implementation of the highest-priority hardware-based mitigation measures identified by the task force.
HB26-1129 |Gas Utility Service | Concerning (incentivizing) gas utility service. | Sponsors: Reps Barron/Frenell, Sens Kirkmeyer/Pelton B | SUMMARY: The bill requires a gas distribution utility (utility) to exempt carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the combustion of gas by residential customers from the utility’s clean heat plan filed with the public utilities commission (commission). A utility must exclude residential carbon dioxide emissions from the baseline and projected emissions calculations used in the utility’s clean heat plan. If they are they may (but not must) revise it. The bill permits a utility to recover costs related to a system safety and integrity project, which is defined as a certain type of project that improves the safety or integrity of the gas distribution system The bill repeals a prohibition on a gas utility providing incentives to customers for establishing gas service to a property. | OPPOSE
HB26-1132 | Practices to Support Pollinators | Concerning increasing pollinator habitats on lands in the state. | Sponsors: Rep Froelich, Sen Kipp | SUMMARY: The bill encourages the state forest service, the DNR, the department of personnel, and the DOT to prioritize the use of in-state sources of eco-regionally specific plant material that supports pollinator habitats and establish a training program for land managers and maintenance crews, integrate mowing and grazing based on recommendations included in the 2022 study from SB22-199. The bill requires the office of the state architect to support and encourage the development and renovation of sustainable sites to maximize pollinator health on properties within the state capitol complex, other state buildings, and, where applicable, on leased property.
HB26-1140 | Local Government Impact Hearings | Concerning a requirement that the staff of the legislative council facilitate a limited number of local government impact hearings for certain legislative measures during a regular legislative session. | Sponsors: Rep Winter, Sen Pelton R | SUMMARY: The bill allows House and Senate leadership to each select up to 5 legislative measures (for a total of 20) to have a local government impact, which is a dedicated time of 1-2 hours at the beginning of a scheduled committee hearing for a legislative measure during which one or more local governments or organizations that represent local governments may present testimony to the committee regarding the potential effects of the legislative measure on local governments within the state. | OPPOSE
SB26-082 | Local Government Renewable Energy Development Fee | Concerning the process by which a local government controls the development of renewable energy projects, and, in connection therewith, authorizing a local government to implement an optional two-tier application fee program and a success fee. | Sponsor: Pelton B | SUMMARY: Current law does not specify what process a local government may use to charge fees or set a timeline for the local government to make a final decision regarding land use approval for the renewable energy project. This bill requires a fee paid to local governments if you want your renewables project (not your nuclear or fossil project mind you—just wind/solar/batteries) approved. And another fee for the privilege of expediting the approval you previously paid to get. | OPPOSE
SB26-033 | Clean Energy Permitting Processes | Concerning clean energy permitting processes, and, in connection therewith, creating the Colorado clean energy permitting coordination office. | Sponsors: Sen Liston, Rep Winter | Summary: The bill creates the Colorado clean energy permitting coordination office (office) in the Colorado energy office to provide coordination and technical assistance to owners or operators, local governments, and state permitting authorities regarding permitting for the construction, expansion, repowering, or material modification of a clean energy resource facility project. (Sadly, it’s not allowed to direct the outcome so it’s a toothless office.) Upon request, or if determined it’s likely to experience direct and significant impacts, the office must convene a meeting to coordinate the filing of permit applications, prepare a coordinated permitting schedule, develop and maintain a public dashboard, and submit a community engagement plan. The office is required to prioritize support for projects that repower or reuse retired or retiring fossil fuel generation sites, are located in coal transition communities, or are located on brownfield sites. Effective July 1, 2027, an owner or operator must develop and submit to the office a safety and emergency preparedness plan (even if there’s no safety/EMS issue with the plant) and coordinate with relevant local agencies and the Colorado DHS a safety and emergency preparedness plan, and submit to the office a grid reliability and security statement. (But no specific requirement to designate the disposal of waste or other hazardous byproducts of the plant.) The office must coordinate with the PUC and utilities as appropriate to align permitting readiness with grid reliability needs. This entire thing is repealed in 2031! Makes repeated reference to FERC and nuclear plants but is required for every clean energy project regardless of capacity, purpose, or cost. Has zero environmental requirements, not even a requirement to confer with the DNR! | OPPOSE
SB26-044 | Tax Collection Mineral Rights County Treasurers | Concerning the collection of taxes on mineral rights by county treasurers. | Sponsor: Pelton B | Summary: The bill authorizes a board of county commissioners to cancel any taxes that have been levied on a severed mineral account 5 years after the date the taxes become delinquent. The bill establishes certain requirements for when a county may convey a tax lien on a severed mineral account to a grantee or surface owner of record after a period of 5 years.
SB26-045 | Nuclear Workforce Development & Education Program | Concerning promoting workforce development opportunities in Colorado’s nuclear sector. | Sponsors: Sens Liston/Mullica, Reps Paschal/Winter (bi-partisan) | Summary: The bill creates the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council in the Colorado school of mines to help meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy sector. The bill establishes a related grant program to provide grants to institutions of higher education for the development or expansion of nuclear engineering degree or certificate programs or course offerings. The council shall convene advisory sessions with stakeholders from the nuclear, educational, and workforce development sectors; implement the grant program; and contract with one or more third-party entities for staffing and operational assistance. Grant funded only. The council shall convene and begin awarding grants only after the balance of the cash fund reaches or exceeds $500,000.
SB26-049 | Homeowner Natural Disaster Mitigation | Concerning homeowner natural disaster mitigation. | Sponsors: Sens Snyder/Frizell, Rep Camacho (bi-partisan) | Summary: The bill adds individuals and homeowners’ associations as eligible recipients of assistance from the natural disaster mitigation enterprise fund. Adds “impact-resistant roofing materials” and other “property-specific mitigation action” and provides definitions of the same. Additionally, the bill creates an income tax deduction for contributions to a catastrophe savings account (CSA), to cover the amount of insurance deductibles for claims stemming from hail, wildfire, or a catastrophic wind event, uninsured losses related to the same, and property-specific mitigation actions. The bill also exempts interest earned by CSAs from income tax.
SB26-052 | Coal Transition Community Investment | Concerning coal transition communities, and, in connection therewith, providing a hiring preference for coal transition workers in coal transition communities and expanding the allowable ways in which a public entity may deposit or invest just transition money. | Sponsors: Roberts/Catlin, Reps Lukens/Mauro (bi-partisan) | Summary: The bill establishes a first and preferred opportunity for available employment for coal transition workers. A business entity located in a coal transition community that is engaged in the business of constructing or operating railroads, utilities, energy generation facilities, or advanced manufacturing facilities (covered business) is required to comply with the hiring preference. A covered business does not include the state government or a local government.
A covered business is required to make good faith efforts to provide a hiring preference to a coal transition worker who meets the minimum qualifications for an employment position. A covered business may hire an individual who is not a qualified coal transition worker only if either a qualified coal transition worker did not apply for employment with the covered business or each qualified coal transition worker declined a job offer from a covered business. Currently, a public entity is not allowed to invest public funds in certain types of investments. The bill authorizes a public entity to deposit or invest public funds from a payment or settlement that the public entity has received to offset the socioeconomic impacts to a community or government from the closure of a coal mine or coal power generating station in any investment permitted by an investment policy approved by the public entity. | OPPOSE
SB26-062 | Rodenticide Use Restrictions | Concerning certain rodent control products in the state. | Sponsors: Sens Cutter/Kipp, Rep Velasco | Summary: The bill prohibits a person from selling, distributing, applying, or using certain types of rodenticide and rodent glue traps in the state except as authorized for restricted and limited use in a public health emergency and in accordance with certain use requirements and time periods.
A person conducting professional rodent control services in the state is required to prioritize integrated pest management strategies, which involve implementing a combination of nonchemical rodent control measures.
SB26-064 | Modify Colorado Agricultural Future Loan Program | Concerning modifying the Colorado agricultural future loan program to allow certain eligible entities to qualify for funding from the program. | Sponsors: Sens Simpson/Roberts, Reps McCormick/Soper (bi-partisan) | Summary: The bill modifies the Colorado agricultural future loan program (program) to permit a district that has authority to conduct water activities, an irrigation district, or a ditch and reservoir company; and has a letter of support from an entity certified by the division of conservation. The bill directs the commissioner of agriculture to adopt rules that prioritize the provision of loans to eligible entities that apply for loans in order to acquire and conserve agriculturally productive land and to transfer ownership of that land to an eligible farmer or rancher who qualifies for a loan from the program.
SB26-065 | Systemic Insecticide Use Limitations (Neonics) | Concerning limitations on the use of certain insecticides in the state. | Sponsors: Wallace/Kipp, Velasco/Brown | Summary: On and after January 1, 2029, the bill prohibits a person from selling, offering for sale, or otherwise distributing in the state field crop seeds coated or treated with systemic insecticide (coated or treated seeds), which is an insecticide designed to be absorbed by plants, unless the buyer presents at the point of sale a certificate authorizing the purchase of such seeds from a seed dealer and the use of such seeds on agricultural property.
The approved third-party verifier shall conduct a pest risk assessment and prepare a report on the assessment. If the approved third-party verifier determines that the use of coated or treated seeds is necessary and appropriate on the agricultural property, they may issue a certificate authorizing the use of coated or treated seeds on the agricultural property for a period up to one year. The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement a program ensuring that coated or treated seeds are used on agricultural property only when needed and expected to be effective and may enforce against an approved third-party verifier’s or seed dealer’s noncompliance with the requirements of the bill, including by suspending or revoking approval of the third-party verifier or the seed dealer’s license or by assessing a fine in an amount not to exceed $50,000 per violation. Effective 2029. It’s not an outright prohibition, but it creates a lot of hurdles! | UNANIMOUS SUPPORT
Click on the Bill Name to read the bill details
Hearings Upon Adjournment begin when floor work is done. See the House or Senate calendar on the day of the hearing to determine the hearing approximate start.
Appropriations Committees do not hear testimony.
🚨 To testify—in person, via zoom, or in writing, click here.
WED 02/11 1:30pm | Senate Transportation & Energy (T&E) | SCR 352 (third floor between the elevators)
| Hearing Item | SB26-002Energy Affordability (aka FARE bill) |
| Hearing Item | SR26-001Morgan County Road Improvements |
🚨 Thu 02/12 1:30p | House Energy & Environment (E&E) | Old State Library (2nd floor between the elevators)
| Bill # & Name | HB26-1030Data Center & Utility Modernization |
WED 02/18 1:30pm | Senate Transportation & Energy (T&E) | SCR 352 (third floor between the elevators)
🚨 Wed 02/25 UPON ADJOURNMENT | House Energy & Environment (E&E) | Old State Library (2nd floor between the elevators)
| Bill # & Name | HB26-1007Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources (aka Balcony Solar) |
| Hearing Item | HB26-1112Regulation of Underground Injection Control Wells |
THU 02/26 1:30p | House Energy & Environment (E&E) | Old State Library (2nd floor between the elevators)
HB26-1007 | Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources | Concerning measures to improve a customer’s ability to use distributed energy resources. (AKA Plug-In or Balcony Solar) | Sponsors: Reps Smith/Stewart R, Sen Kipp | Summary: The bill defines, and creates requirements for, portable-scale solar generation (max 1920W) devices. Devices of less than 391W are exempt from solar PV laws and building HOA/restrictions and do not require wiring alterations. Allows customer user of a meter collar to control flow of electricity and prohibits requiring a production meter as a condition of interconnection. Plug-In solar must be installed by licensed electrician and may not be prohibited by the building owner or utility provider. | SUPPORT
HB26-1008 | Colorado Outdoor Opportunities Act | Concerning measures to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities in the state, and, in connection therewith, expanding the division of parks and wildlife’s (CPW) capacity for outdoor recreation coordination, planning, and management. | Sponsors: Reps Lukens/Taggart, Sens Marchman/Rich (bi-partisan) | The bill requires CPW to expand outdoor recreation coordination, planning, and management and take a leading role in state-level coordination, strategic planning, and implementation of Colorado’s outdoors strategy. The division is directed to, among other things, engage with relevant partners, stakeholders, and agencies to coordinate and incorporate wildlife, conservation, recreation, and climate-resilience considerations across agency planning and decision-making processes, and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities while protecting private property rights, wildlife, and natural resources. | SUPPORT
HB26-1030 | Data Center & Utility Modernization | Concerning facilitation of data center development while supporting utility resources, and, in connection therewith, creating the “Colorado Data Center Workforce, Clean Energy, Grid Modernization, and Consumer and Environmental Protection Act”. | Sponsors: Reps Valdez/Duran, Sen Mullica | SUMMARY: Last year’s failed bill is back with minimal changes. The bill creates the data center giveaway of our electricity and water resources and permission to poison our air and water for the benefit of billionaires program in the Colorado office of economic development (OEDIT) and has no members with environmental or social expertise to protect the public but with unreasonably fast turnaround times for approval and methods to cure if not approved (in order words, no denial criteria). It only exists to incentivize data center development at the expense of all other important programs such as managing the state budget or limiting GHGs or public health impacts, and gives away millions of dollars per year of sales and use tax that would otherwise be collected so they can raise rates on everybody else and allows a 100% STATE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR TWENTY YEARS WITH TEN YEAR EXTENSIONS FOR LIFE on everything they spend a penny on except the building materials but including the wiring and any/all interconnection equipment! Plus all hardware and software purchases WHETHER AFFIXED TO OR INCORPORATED INTO REAL PROPERTY associated with the data center!
Data center must spend $250M in 5 years on construction, create a job at 110% of prevailing wage, have an energy efficient building by any of a number of energy and water efficiency standards, attest that they’re “good water stewards” whatever the hell that means and provide the name of the water supplier, ensure they’re using “better” diesel (hooray for the PM2.5 pollution!) or fracked gas backup generators (the use of which in Memphis by xAI increased NOx & formaldehyde smog by 30-60%). No requirement to bring their own power; in fact, they’re only required to cover the costs of utility PLANNING but not actual utility equipment which will get passed onto ratepayers. Only ratepayer protection is they will not cause UNREASONABLE COST IMPACTS to other ratepayers. Note that statute requires a maximum of 1.5% increase in rates/year but this only requires whatever the OEDIT team of collaborators determines is “unreasonable.” Requires clean energy (including nuclear and coal-bed methane) and closed-loop cooling or non-water-based cooling except when they don’t/they’re not. No restriction on local government authority so LGs can prohibit/tax/restrict/impose any conditions it wants.
Last year’s bill estimated that the state would lose $38M/year including nearly $17M in TABOR refunds. This year’s bill doesn’t have a fiscal note yet. | OPPOSE
See this pollution/health impacts report from Harvard Business Review. |
HB26-1051 | Continue Microgrid Community Resilience Grant Program | Concerning continuing the microgrids for community resilience grant program. | Sponsors: Reps Suckla/Stewart K, Sens Simpson/Roberts (bi-partisan) | Summary: The microgrids for community resilience grant program is set to repeal on September 1, 2026. The bill continues the grant program indefinitely by removing the repeal date. | SUPPORT
SB26-002 | Energy Affordability | Concerning energy affordability, and, in connection therewith, establishing a first allotment of residential electricity service program that provides income-qualified utility customers a minimum level of electricity service at a marginal cost rate. | Sponsors: Sens Kipp/Exum, Rep Willford | The bill requires an investor-owned electric utility (IOU) to submit a proposal to the public utilities commission (PUC) that establishes a first allotment of residential electricity service (FARE service) program.
The FARE service program provides a minimum level of electricity at a marginal cost rate for income-qualified utility customers. A FARE service proposal that a utility submits to the PUC must include: a minimum level of electricity for an average income-qualified utility customer; a marginal cost rate on a per-kilowatt-hour basis which marginal cost rate must be lower than the residential customer rate that would normally be charged; and; a way to enroll in the FARE service program. | SUPPORT
SB26-003 | End-of-Life Management of Electric Vehicle Batteries |Concerning expanding the scope of the “Battery Stewardship Act” to cover the end-of-life management of EV batteries. | Sponsors: Sens Wallace/Cutter, Rep Stewart R | This bill expands the scope of the “Battery Stewardship Act” to cover the end-of-life management of electric or hybrid vehicle batteries by 2028. | SUPPORT
SB26-016 | Prohibit Discharge Preproduction Plastic Materials | Concerning prohibiting the discharge of preproduction plastic materials. | Sponsors: Sen Cutter, Rep Smith | Summary: The bill prohibits the discharge of plastic pellets and other preproduction plastic materials through land application or into state waters, wastewater, storm water runoff, or other runoff by a facility, point source, or person that makes, uses, handles, packages, or transports plastic pellets or other preproduction plastic materials in the state. | SUPPORT
SB26-021 | Clean Fleet Enterprise Replace Aging Diesel Trucks | Concerning authorizing the clean fleet enterprise to encourage the replacement of high-emitting (diesel) trucks with low-emitting (diesel) trucks in motor vehicle fleets. | Sponsors: Sens Mullica/Simpson, Reps Barron/Paschal (bi-partisan) | For diesel vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds, is based in the state, and is part of a fleet with in-state annual miles driven of at least 75% of the fleet’s total annual miles driven and is a model year of 2009 or earlier to replace using the CFE funds with a heavy-duty truck that is a model year of 2018 or later until December 31, 2031. Must surrender old truck and said truck must be rendered incapable of resale. The enterprise is required to ensure that it does not expend more than 20% of the fund’s income during a state fiscal year for the support. May not spend more than 20% of the fund.
SB26-022 | Challenges Meeting 2030 Emissions Reduction Goals | Concerning an entity that encounters challenges in achieving the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal included in the entity’s clean energy plan. | Sponsors: Sens Snyder/Simpson, Reps Caldwell/Paschal | Current law requires certain entities to file a clean energy plan (plan) to achieve an 80% decrease of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the entity’s electricity sales in Colorado by 2030 relative to 2005 levels. Other entities may voluntarily choose to file a plan. (This is ostensibly to facilitate the continuation of the Ray Nixon coal plant, but is written so broadly it applies to EVERY muni/co-op.)
This bill provides a get-out-of-jail-free card for any utility because they have challenges. Apparently however you want to apply the term ‘challenge,’ and they now have until May rather than March to notify of their challenge(s). Applies to electric co-ops and munis and allows them to extend until 2040 the requirement to reduce GHGs by 80%. Prohibits the CDPHE from any imposition of violations or fines or penalties, as long as the muni/co-op doesn’t increase rates more than 1.5%/year. (But if you can’t enforce, how will you enforce the 1.5%?) | Recommendation: OPPOSE like your health and environment depends on it, because it does.
SB26-028 | Removal of Wind Energy from State Energy Goals | Concerning removal of wind generation as a clean energy source related to the state’s clean energy goals. | Sponsor: Pelton R | The bill removes wind energy as an eligible renewable energy resource under Colorado’s renewable energy standard and removes wind energy generation from consideration for the state’s clean energy targets. | OPPOSE
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera on December 31st, 2025
“Vast swaths of the ponderosa pine forests that blanket Colorado’s Front Range mountains could turn rust-colored and die over the next five years.” – Daily Camera front page story.
Let’s connect three dots and take action: (1) The die-offs will be caused by beetles. But, as the article continues, (2) “continuous warmer temperatures and drought — conditions made more likely by climate change — have sapped otherwise healthy trees’ defenses to the beetles.” (3) Over 97% of scientists agree that humans are causing climate change primarily through the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel companies have known this connection between their product and climate change since at least the 1970s.
Connecting these three dots makes it clear that it’s high time to do what we should have done years earlier. We should begin to transition to a better future by banning new oil and gas drilling. Such a ban could allow for continued pumping from existing wells but would phase out modifications to those thousands of wells through re-drilling or deepening. Unused drilling permits would expire. Previous operators of orphaned wells would have to pay more to hasten state cleanup efforts.
So, when you start to see our beautiful front-range trees turning brown, think “fossil fuels are doing this.” And then contact your legislator and the governor and ask them to phase out fossil fuel drilling, so you can also think: “I’m doing something to change it.”
Chris Hoffman, Boulder