summary
Introduced
02/04/2026
02/04/2026
In Committee
02/04/2026
02/04/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
03/05/2026
03/05/2026
Introduced Session
Potential new amendment
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
The bill creates the Colorado electric grid resiliency task force (task force) to study the issue of grid resilience and to make recommendations to the governor and the general assembly. The task force is 18 members. The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall organize and call the first meeting of the task force by November 28, 2026. The task force meets at least once every month until it completes its duties, but the chair may call additional meetings. Upon request by the task force, the department of regulatory agencies shall provide office space, equipment, and staff services as necessary. The task force has the following duties on a biennial basis: ! Doing a rigorous, uniform engineering assessment of every covered transformer in Colorado; ! Developing a prioritized statewide hardening and spare-transformer plan with cost estimates, cost-benefit analyses, and recommended funding mechanisms; ! Recommending rules, legislation, and interstate or federal cost-sharing arrangements and publishing a report detailing these recommendations; and ! Reporting its findings to the house of representatives energy and environment committee and the senate transportation and energy committee. The bill sets minimum technical standards for the assessment, plan, and recommendations. A transmission-owning entity must participate in the task force assessment and provide any requested data. These entities may recover reasonable and prudent costs incurred to comply with the bill through rates, member assessments, or ordinary budgeting processes. Owners or operators of covered transformers are required to file with the federal energy regulatory commission a report, marked as "Critical Energy/Electric Infrastructure Information". Standards are set for the report. Biennially, the public utilities commission must prepare a summary of the report and present it to the house of representatives energy and environment committee and the senate transportation and energy committee. The public utilities commission must adopt rules requiring implementation of the highest-priority hardware-based mitigation measures identified by the task force unless equivalent protection is demonstrated. The task force repeals on September 1, 2031. Before the repeal, it is scheduled for review under the sunset law.
AI Summary
This bill establishes the Colorado Electric Grid Resiliency Task Force, a 18-member group tasked with studying and recommending solutions to improve the resilience of Colorado's electric grid, particularly against threats like severe space weather and electromagnetic pulses that can damage critical equipment like transformers. The task force, which includes legislative members, state agency representatives, and industry experts, will conduct biennial engineering assessments of all "covered transformers" (large, high-voltage transformers) in the state, develop a statewide plan to harden the grid and ensure spare parts are available, and propose rules, legislation, and funding mechanisms. Transmission-owning entities must participate in these assessments and can recover their costs through rates or other standard processes. Owners of covered transformers must also file specific reports with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) detailing their equipment and mitigation plans. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Colorado's regulatory body for utilities, will summarize these FERC reports and present them to legislative committees, and will also adopt rules mandating the implementation of the task force's highest-priority hardware-based mitigation measures unless equivalent protection is proven. The task force is set to expire on September 1, 2031, after undergoing a review process.
Committee Categories
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
House Committee on Energy & Environment Postpone Indefinitely (on 03/05/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1124 |
| House Energy & Environment Amendment L.006 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_amendments/18275/download |
| House Energy & Environment Amendment L.005 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_amendments/18276/download |
| House Energy & Environment Amendment L.004 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_amendments/18277/download |
| House Energy & Environment Amendment L.003 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_amendments/18271/download |
| House Energy & Environment Amendment L.002 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_amendments/18272/download |
| House Energy & Environment Amendment L.001 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_amendments/18273/download |
| Fiscal Note FN1 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/112516/download |
| BillText | https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/111286/download |
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