S_TRA_2024A 01/17/2024 10:29:24 AM Committee Summary

PUBLIC
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
JOINT COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON JOINT SENATE TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY AND HOUSE ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Date

01/17/2024

Attendance
Bottoms	X
Cutter	X
DeGraaf	X
Exum	X
Froelich	X
Hinrichsen	X
Joseph	*
Pelton B.	X
Priola	X
Rutinel	X
Simpson	X
Soper	*
Titone	X
Valdez	X
Velasco	X
Vigil	X
Willford	*
Winter T.	X
Winter F.	X
Kipp	X

Time

10:29:24 AM to 03:49:58 PM

Place

Old Supreme Court

This Meeting was called to order by

Kipp

This Report was prepared by

Samantha Falco

Hearing Items	Action Taken
hColorado Department of Public Health and Environment SMART Act Presentation	Committee Discussion Only
hJoint Budget Committee Presentation to Joint Rule 25 (d)	Committee Discussion Only
hColorado Energy Office SMART Act Presentation	Committee Discussion Only
hColorado Department of Natural Resources: Energy & Carbon Management Commission SMART Act Presentation	Committee Discussion Only
hColorado Public Utilities Commission SMART Act Presentation	Committee Discussion Only
hPublic Testimony	Committee Discussion Only

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment SMART Act Presentation - Committee Discussion Only


	10:31:47 AM	Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director, Trisha Oeth, Director of Environmental Health and Protection, and Erick Schemenske, Chief Operating Officer, with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) presented their SMART Acts presentation. Information on the CDPHE presentation can be found here: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/cdphe_smart_act_presentation_2024.pdf
	10:38:08 AM	Director Hunsaker Ryan started the presentation with sharing CDPHE's mission and vision, organizational structure, and wildly important goals. The presentation continued with Director Oethe sharing information on the efforts being made to improve air quality. This included information on recent accomplishments and goals for 2024.
	11:00:17 AM	The presentation continued with information on the Environmental Justice Action Task Force, Waters of the United States, CDPHE's legislative agenda, and budget requests. The presentation wrapped up with an overview of the department's inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility work; performance management and business intelligence; stimulus implementation update; and the 2024 regulatory agenda.
	11:11:08 AM	The committee asked questions regarding the districts receiving awards, air monitoring locations, mobile monitoring, monitoring versus modeling and reaching ozone goals. The committee continued to ask questions on what is being tracked in regards to greenhouse gases and water vapor,
	11:39:23 AM	The committee continued to ask questions regarding the department's supplemental request and gas-powered lawn equipment replacement costs.

Joint Budget Committee Presentation to Joint Rule 25 (d) - Committee Discussion Only


	12:03:42 PM	The committee took a brief recess and came back to order.
	12:04:00 PM	The Joint Budget Committee presented pursuant to Joint Rule 25(d). Representative Sirota started the presentation with the an overview of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) not having any budget requests. The presentation continued with an overview of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) budget requests, including R-15. The comittee asked questions regarding DNR and which comittee of reference has oversight.
	12:09:34 PM	The presentation continued with CDPHE's environmental divisions' five budget requests: R-02, R-07, R-08, R-09, and R-11. The committee asked questions regarding the increase in FTE last year and how that has changed since this year and R-02. Rep. Sirota continued with the overview on budget requests.
	12:20:42 PM	Rep. Sirota explained that the Public Utilities Commission has no budget requests. Senator Kirkmeyer added a comment regarding additional information that may be valuable to the committee members regarding general fund spending. Rep. Sirota added information on the placeholders for requests within the budget. The committee asked questions on place holders and the American Rescue Plan Act funding guidance.

Colorado Energy Office SMART Act Presentation - Committee Discussion Only


	12:29:10 PM	Will Toor, Executive Director, and Dominique Gomez, Deputy Director, with the CEO gave the following SMART Act presentation: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/ceo_smart_act_presentation_2024.pdf. Director Toor started the presentation with an overview of the department's organizational structure, wildly important goals, and operations and finance. The presentation continued with information on CEO's budget requests, legislative agenda, stimulus funding implementation, federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, long-term funding, and their regulatory agenda.
	12:41:59 PM	The presentation continued with program updates regarding transportation, building efficiency and electrification, Greenhouse Gas Roadmap, and regulatory work. The committee asked questions regarding green energy citing decisions and issues with the system, modernization of counties, replacing carbon through electrification, target dates related to gas production, employee statistics, regulatory authority, energy storage, Colorado climate goals and decarbonization, climate science, and electric vehicles.

Colorado Department of Natural Resources: Energy & Carbon Management Commission SMART Act Presentation - Committee Discussion Only


	01:45:37 PM	Dan Gibbs, DNR Executive Director, and Julie Murphy, ECMC Director, with the DNR gave the following presentation on their SMART Acts: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/dnr_smart_act_presentation.pdf and provided the following handout: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/ozone_-_cdphe_and_dnr_2_0.pdf.
	01:48:09 PM	Director Gibbs started the presentation with an overview of the department and their wildly important goals.
	02:07:47 PM	Director Murphy continued the presentation with information on ECMC rulemaking updates, cumulative impacts, community engagement, study updates, implications of Senate Bill 19-181, permit trends, orphaned wells updates, and a Johnstown Well update.
	02:26:57 PM	The committee asked questions regarding the water conservation plan, factors in deciding to plug a well, orphaned wells and greenhouse gas emissions, expertise on Colorado's alternative energy portfolio, staff and funding levels, permitting levels, and carbon dioxide.

Colorado Public Utilities Commission SMART Act Presentation - Committee Discussion Only


	02:44:28 PM	Patty Salazar, Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) Executive Director, and Rebecca White, PUC Director, gave the following SMART Act presentation: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/puc_smart_act_presentation_0.pdf.
	02:47:21 PM	Director White started the presentation with information on DORA's organizational chart, wildly important goals, the Utility Bill Help Pilot Program, affordability efforts, gas pipeline saftey, towing, energy legislation implementation, equity and environmental justice, the PUC budget, legislation, and the 2024 regulatory-rulemaking agenda.
	03:01:58 PM	The committee asked questions regarding affordability, geomagnetic storms, grid resiliency, Senate Bill 21-108 requirement completion, managing complaints, PUC oversight over various utilities, rulemaking processes, and the pipeline safety program.

Public Testimony - Committee Discussion Only


	03:38:59 PM	Ms. Fiddler, representing themselves, testified. Renee M. Chacon, representing Womxn From the Mountain, testified.

03:49:58 PM

The committee adjourned.