Colorado PUC Moves to Regulate Planned Power Shutoffs After Xcel Outages

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado

After four Xcel power shutoffs in the past nine months, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission is taking action.

The director of the PUC told state lawmakers the regulatory agency is creating rules to help mitigate the impact of “Public Safety Power Shutoffs,” which are meant to reduce the risk of a wildfire in high wind events.

The news came during a hearing by the Colorado House and Senate energy committees, where lawmakers grilled the president of Xcel, Robert Kenney.

Republic state Sen. Byron Pelton, who represents Morgan County, told Kenney, when power is cut to feed lots in rural Colorado, cattle lose access to water.

Democratic state Sen. Tammy Story, who represents Jefferson County, says the shutoffs have had devastating impacts on people who rely on medical equipment and business owners.

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