Colorado Revised Statutes Title 40. Utilities § 40-3-121. Natural gas cost causation study--commission proceeding--reporting--repeal

(1)(a) Within sixty days after the commission issues a final, nonappealable decision regarding the first clean heat plan filed pursuant to section 40-3.2-108 by a natural gas utility that serves more than five hundred thousand customers, the commission shall open a proceeding to investigate whether and how residential development and other development in certain geographic areas drive natural gas infrastructure costs for any natural gas utility that serves more than five hundred thousand customers in the state, particularly with regard to the impact that the development has on nonparticipating income-qualified customers.

(b) The proceeding must identify specific, new large natural gas infrastructure investments and, for each investment identified, determine the extent to which new residential development or other development by a geographic area is disproportionately necessitating that investment.

(c) The proceeding must include a calculation of the benefits and costs of the growth in new residential development and other development to both the natural gas utility customers for whom the infrastructure investment is being made and nonparticipating retail and wholesale natural gas utility customers, particularly those nonparticipating customers who are income-qualified customers.

(a) Determine whether alternative infrastructure, service investments, or other utility actions could mitigate impacts on nonparticipating or income-qualified customers in a manner that is necessary, is appropriate, and could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with the “Colorado Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap”, published by the Colorado energy office; and

(b) Identify the up-front and service life annualized costs and benefits of the alternatives identified in subsection (2)(a) of this section.