We are two weeks into the 2018 General Assembly and there are already several bills introduced impacting the cleantech business community. Like most previous years, there are still many important bills yet to be introduced we will be watching closely including: 1) Alternative Fuel Vehicle Utility Infrastructure, 2) Advanced Industries Export Grant program extension, 3) Utility PUC Storage Targets, and; 4) Economic Development Electric Rates for new load growth (IOUs).
Additionally, we will be closely watching the annual budget or (Long Bill) when it is introduced in April that will include final numbers on the Advanced Industries Grant Program, the Innovative Workforce (Intern) program and several important budgetary placeholder items including the funding for the Colorado Energy Office.
Introduced Bills Listed below:
SB 18-003 - Colorado Energy Office Reorganization - Repeals several unfunded and dormant programs and adds the words 'nuclear, hydro and energy storage" to the office's mission. Provisions on Senate confirmation for the Director of the office and the funding component were removed in committee. The funding component (amount unknown at this time) will be pursued via the budget process. Passed as Amended in Sen. Ag., Energy Committee on 1.18.18 - next stop Appropriations.
CCIA Position - Monitor.
SB 18-009 - Distributed Energy Storage Rights - Defines "Distributed Electricity Storage System" in statute. Provides guidelines for the PUC to streamline permitting and interconnection for customer sited storage and prevents Investor Owned Utilities from requiring an additional meter in addition to a single net energy meter. This bill will be amended. Scheduled for a Senate Ag., Energy Committee hearing on 1.25.18.
CCIA Position - Support
SB 18-047 - Repeal Tax Credits/Alternative Fuel Vehicles - Repeals all alternative fuel vehicle tax and lease credits (electric, natural gas, propane, conversions) on January 1, 2019 and requires the state to estimate the amount of the credits and transfer that funding to the Highway Users Tax Fund. Scheduled for a Senate Finance Committee on 2.6.18.
CCIA Position - Oppose
SB 18-064 - Increases the Renewable Energy Standard for all utilities (IOUs, Rural Electric Associations and Municipal) to 100% by 2035. Scheduled for a Senate Ag., Energy Committee hearing on 2.1.18.
CCIA Position - Monitor
HB 18-1080 - Creates a Climate Leadership Awards program under the purview of the state climate change coordinator. Waiting to be added to the House Transportation & Energy Committee calendar.
CCIA Position - Monitor
HB 18-1085 - Requires the state to research and compile information on the health effects of noise and stray voltage from industrial wind energy turbines on humans and animals. Waiting to be added to the House Transportation & Energy Committee calendar. CCIA Position - Oppose
HB 18-1107 - Requires contractors for new residential single family and condominiums to offer a buyer the option to "pre-wire" for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Waiting to be added to the House Transportation & Energy Committee calendar.
CCIA Position - Support
We are looking for a few interested members to join our weekly policy update. Please email us for more information.
Developed in partnership with Colorado State University's Center for the New Energy Economy, the AEL Tracker solves this challenge by collecting all advanced energy legislation into one database, assigning each bill to one of ten policy categories and providing a searchable, visual database complete with trend analysis and reporting.
The PUC Portal's online database provides you with everything you need to know about PUCs in all 50 states: makeup, members, structure, and statistics. It includes information on other kay players in the state's energy sphere and data on the energy mix in each state.
