2026

Colorado Energy Affordability in 2026

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The beginning of a year: a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. As 2026 dawns, this is certainly the case for the Colorado Rural Electric Association, and for me personally, as I take the helm of the organization. After 14 years as the CEO of Grand Valley Power in Grand Junction — and more than 26 years in the electric cooperative family — the CREA Board of Directors has selected me to fill the big shoes of Kent Singer, the association’s retiring executive director. That means I will head up communications efforts, direct critical safety support, manage education functions, and lead legislative efforts for electric cooperatives serving members and consumers across the state.

This month, legislative advocacy takes the spotlight as the Colorado General Assembly convenes just a few days after I begin my new role. My years at local distribution co-ops have taught me how decisions at the Capitol can impact the lives of the people we serve. This session could be one of the most consequential for consumers of electricity in years, as threats and even a few opportunities abound. I will hit the ground running as the CREA legislative team focuses on one goal above all: keeping electricity affordable for electric co-ops and the consumers they serve. Here are some of the legislative issues that could directly impact the cost of electricity:

Accelerated clean energy initiatives — Lawmakers are expected to revisit proposals that accelerate the state’s clean-energy timelines. Electric co-ops across the state have gone to great lengths to meet existing standards that are more ambitious than required almost anywhere in the country. If these standards are accelerated without regard for how co-ops and other utilities operate, they threaten to drive up costs and disrupt long-term planning. We will be at the table working to ensure affordability is front and center.

Organized wholesale markets — We also anticipate renewed attention on Colorado’s requirement that all transmission providers join an organized wholesale market by 2030. When every provider in the state participates, costs go down for everyone. It will be a priority for CREA this session to ensure that no utility seeks to circumvent that obligation through legislation.

Wildfire mitigation — Finally, as noted in a recent issue of Colorado Country Life, we will advance legislation that reduces the risk of devastating wildfires. This includes promoting responsible mitigation efforts and stabilization of long-term risks, including financial risks. As my friends at Poudre Valley REA have pointed out, many electric co-ops are just a spark away from a wildfire that could threaten their very existence. That is why we will pursue legislation aimed at addressing those pressures directly. Read pages 20-22 in this issue for a deeper look into why this legislation is needed. These priorities, along with the 40 or so other bills we will take positions on this session, will keep all of us at the statewide association busy. It is my goal to prioritize electric co-op consumer-members as the CREA team and I work to keep electricity reliable, safe, and affordable for the communities our member cooperatives serve.

Tom Walch is the executive director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the statewide organization supporting 21 electric distribution cooperatives and one generation and transmission cooperative.

NRECA Legislative Conference Recap

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In last month’s Colorado Country Life, CREA’s Director of Government Relations, Taylor Ward, provided a recap of the association’s successful work during the recently completed session of the Colorado General Assembly.

While most of our political advocacy work for electric co-ops is done in Colorado, CREA also works with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association to promote the interests of electric co-ops in Washington, D.C. We work with the offices of Colorado’s two United States senators and eight representatives to protect and promote the electric co-op business model on a national level.

As part of our federal advocacy, each year CREA supports and organizes Colorado’s electric co-op participation in NRECA’s annual Legislative Conference in Washington. This conference brings together over 2,000 electric co-op directors and staff from across the country to meet with members of Congress and address co-op concerns and issues.

At this year’s gathering, approximately 50 representatives of Colorado’s electric co-ops joined the CREA team in meetings with our Congressional delegation. We were fortunate this year that Congress was in session the week we were in D.C., so we were able to meet with both of our senators as well as five of our eight members of Congress. We also met with terrific staff members from the other three offices when the representatives had scheduling conflicts.

We focused on five main issues in our meetings in D.C. First, we thanked the members for their support of recent federal laws that provide funding to co-ops to complete projects that will improve the reliability and resiliency of rural electric systems. Second, we asked the members to continue to support co-op investments in wildfire mitigation projects, grid hardening, and cybersecurity improvements. Third, we asked the Colorado delegation to continue to support federal legislation that will provide a better opportunity for co-ops to remove hazardous trees and reduce the threat of wildfires. The Fix Our Forests Act expands the width of electric utility rights of way on federal lands and expedites the permitting process for co-ops to clear vegetation from around power lines. Fourth, we reminded our representatives of the importance of hydropower in our energy mix and asked that they support adequate staffing for the Western Area Power Administration. Fifth, we asked the members to continue to support the Federal Emergency Management Administration and its work with co-ops in the aftermath of natural disasters.

The Colorado congressional delegation has a wide range of viewpoints on energy policy and other matters. However, we believe that the mission of Colorado’s not-for-profit, member-owned electric co-ops is one that everyone can get behind.

We’re very grateful to the directors and staff of our member cooperatives who made the trip to Washington, D.C., and we collectively appreciate the work our delegation does on behalf of the state and Colorado’s electric co-ops. There is more work to be done on all of these issues, and Colorado’s electric co-ops will continue to partner with our members of Congress in the coming months to help co-ops serve their communities with reliable and affordable power.

Legislative Wins for Colorado’s Electric Co-ops

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The Colorado General Assembly adjourns May 7, and it’s been a successful session for Colorado’s electric cooperatives. CREA entered the session with a new government relations team, and we’re extremely proud of how we’ve advocated on behalf of our member cooperatives. From day one, we set out to build new relationships with lawmakers while strengthening existing ones — and we’re proud to say we’ve done just that.

CREA’s team reviews every bill introduced during the session to assess how proposed laws may affect electric co-ops. This year, we were thrilled to support bills that add tools to help utilities achieve state-mandated clean energy goals and backed measures that strengthen wildfire resilience — a critical issue for many electric co-ops. While each session brings a mix of helpful and concerning proposals, this year was especially active for bills that could have challenged co-ops’ ability to deliver the reliable, affordable, and safe electricity their communities count on. Here are a few highlights from our work this session:

HB25-1234: Service Disconnection Ban. As introduced, this bill would have prohibited electric co-ops from disconnecting service to their members between October and May and in certain other circumstances. Co-ops have strong safeguards in place to prevent shut-offs, such as advance-notice policies, flexible payment options, payment assistance programs, and medical exemptions. A state-mandated prohibition on disconnections would have severely hampered the ability of co-ops to provide service to their members. CREA successfully lobbied for an amendment to this bill to remove any applicability to co-ops.

HB-1286: Extreme Temperature Worker Requirements. This bill aimed to require employers to implement protections for workers who are exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures at the worksite. We were able to explain to the sponsors of this bill how electric co-ops prioritize their employees’ health and safety, even when lineworkers and other co-op employees face extreme temperatures during their work to keep the lights on. This bill was postponed indefinitely by the sponsors.

HB25-1090: Elimination of Junk Fees. Everybody, including electric co-ops, hates junk fees! We certainly understood the intent of the bill — to eliminate junk fees such as excessive airline charges, surprise hotel costs, and hidden concert fees — but we were concerned that the bill’s language could create confusion around the rates electric co-ops charge their members. Co-ops do not impose junk fees on their members. As not-for-profit electric utilities, co-ops only recover enough money through their rates as is required to provide safe, affordable, and reliable electric service. CREA worked with the sponsors of HB25-1090 to clarify that it did not apply to the rates charged by electric co-ops.

HB25-1010: Prohibition on Price Gouging. As with junk fees, electric co-ops are certainly opposed to price gouging, a practice that has occurred in some states in the wake of a natural disaster. The devil is always in the details when it comes to legislation, and we made sure that co-ops were not implicated in this bill since co-ops absolutely do not engage in price gouging. We successfully negotiated new language in the bill with the support of the bill sponsors.

These bills are just a few examples of CREA’s achievements this session. We’re incredibly grateful to our state legislators, many of whom partnered with us this session to address key challenges facing Colorado’s electric cooperatives. Their dedication to public service — and to the communities Colorado’s electric co-ops serve — is invaluable. We’re proud of the meaningful progress made this year. The relationships we’ve continued to build and the groundwork we’ve laid will strengthen our advocacy moving forward.

The success of electric co-ops is essential to the well-being of the Coloradans they serve, and we’re thrilled with the outcomes of this legislative session.

CREA Director of Government Relations Taylor Ward advocates for the statewide association’s membership at the capitol. Ward works with legislators and other stakeholders to advance the interests of Colorado’s electric cooperatives.