Xcel Rate Increase Dropping From $312 Million to $45 Million Still Not Enough, Public Blasts

, the utility company for much of metro Denver, of approximately $45 million — down from a whopping $312 million boost that the gas and electricity giant originally proposed.“They don't need a rate increase of any size,” said Chris Hoffman, a Coloradan who spoke at a July 11 public hearing on the new rate held by the PUC.

Every person who commented at the Tuesday night hearing on the rate case told the PUC, which regulates Xcel, that it should either reject or minimize the increase. According to PUC chair Eric Blank, there were 150 people signed up for the meeting. Last November, Xcel had initially asked for a $312 million rate increase to invest more in its distribution and transmission systems as well as pay for higher labor and operation costs. It also asked to earn more on its investments to meet shareholder demands.

“Both issues impact the amount the company could charge customers, even with the settlement,” explained Gail Conners, section chief of media relations, outreach and engagement for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs — which houses the PUC.Blank said Conners’s explanation was one of the measures the commission would take to improve public engagement along with a new method for determining the order of speakers.

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