Doris Beaver’s
EYE ON GILPIN COUNTY . . .			
January 23, 2012
XCEL'S RATE INCREASE DERAILED
   Xcel is near infamous for its rate increase requests to Colorado's Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Colorado may finally have someone in their corner under the leadership of new-chairman Joshua Epel, a veteran utilities attorney. Xcel's request for a $142 million increase just may be up against a PUC with a different interpretation of its responsibilities and signal a change in philosophy to come.  
   Epel addressed a key factor in Xcel's request:  "There is one key term, 'adverse.' There has to be a true adverse impact. I don't feel there is a demonstration of adverse impact."
   Polly Page, a former PUC member, now serves on the Colorado Consumer Coalition.  Page's take on Xcel's requrest was a bit more blunt: "Xcel's rate hike didn't make sense to me or probably most of the public, so it was refreshing to see the commission call them on it. As a result, I'm hopeful for the first time in several years that the PUC under new leadership might be getting back on course." 
   Perhaps the audacity of Xcel pushed the PUC "over the top" -- requesting a $100 million interim increase while the massive $142 million rate request is still in the evaluation process. Could it be the cost of the transmission line across Tranchira Ranch is included in the massive $142 million rate increase? Xcel withdrew from that project as most readers are probably aware, claiming it had reached the conclusion it could meet its renewable energy requirements without the transmission line. This writer is not a betting person, but I'd bet going up against the big bucks of Louis Bacon just might have had something to do with it, too!
   Point-of-Information:  A portion of Gilpin County is served by utility giant Xcel. 
   More on the saga as this unfolds.
Mark Twain once said:  “The rule is perfect – in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.”  
Doris Beaver