The activities of Colorado’s power providers are regulated at the national level by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and at the state level by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
The PUC has full economic and quality of service regulatory authority over investor-owned electric and gas utilities (IOUs), as well as partial regulatory control over municipal utilities and cooperative electric associations. The PUC’s mission is to serve the public interest by effectively regulating utilities and facilities so that the people of Colorado receive safe, reliable and reasonably-priced services consistent with the economic, environmental and social values of the state. Along with the Colorado General Assembly, the PUC plays a central role in determining the details of electric and gas policy in Colorado.
All of the state’s wholesale power providers and IOUs also fall under some degree of FERC jurisdiction. FERC is an independent agency that regulates all activity related to the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil and electricity as well as the the licensing of hydroelectric projects.