Jessica Burley, sustainability and parking manager for the Town of Breckenridge, speaking on behalf of Colorado Communities for Climate Action, told the Colorado Public Utilities Commission she wants the utility's renewable energy plan to include community resilience hubs.

"Today, I'm asking the Commission to bring forward community resilient hubs as part of Public Services' renewable energy plan," Burley said, urging a focus on income-qualified and disproportionately impacted communities.

Burley said the coalition supports the City of Boulder's proposal to replicate New Orleans' community lighthouse model, estimating a resilience-hub program at about $6.5 million and proposing at least 16 centers across Public Service Company of Colorado service territory with at least one hub in each of nine regions. She also voiced support for accepting additional dispatchable distributed renewable bids beyond the 50-megawatt minimum set in statute, rolling forward unused community solar garden funding as required by law, and allowing affordable-housing providers to participate in the Inclusive Community Solar Program.

Paul Coleman, a member of the public, criticized the utility's investment balance, comparing what he described as $22 billion in large-system spending to about $7 million proposed for distributed dispatchable generation and urging the Public Utilities Commission to push for faster modernization to benefit ratepayers rather than shareholders.

Tom Hardy, a Lafayette business owner who also works for Boulder County on the Partners for a Clean Environment team, and Zach Swank, deputy director for Boulder County's Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience, said nonprofits and community service providers are willing to host solar-plus-storage but often lack capital. Swank cited a concrete consequence: "During the power safety shut off last April, a food bank in Boulder County, Community Food Share, had to throw away 2,002 pounds of food, after it spoiled while the power was out," and said battery backup could have prevented that loss.

Howard Zahniser, a South Boulder resident, described installing rooftop solar after the Marshall Fire and urged the Commission to consider mechanisms that would allow neighbors to share excess generation and for municipally or community-owned resilience hubs to contribute to grid operations and local emergency response.

Jean Lim, a Broomfield city council member speaking on her own behalf, asked the Commission and Xcel Energy to maximize renewable capacity in the plan, to accept economically advantageous dispatchable renewable bids above the 50-megawatt statutory floor, to roll forward unused community solar garden funds for their intended purpose, and to include a resilience-hub requirement.

Administrative Law Judge Kelly Rosenberg opened and closed the hearing, reminding participants that written and oral comments carry equal weight and that she will consider all comments and issue a written decision later in the process.

The comments at this remote public hearing focused on resiliency, equity and distributed resources: speakers asked the Commission to use the renewable energy compliance plan as a vehicle to fund locally sited solar and storage for community centers and nonprofits, to expand access to community solar for low-income and mobile-home residents, and to accept more dispatchable distributed bids into procurement to reduce reliance on large centralized generation. No formal votes or rulings were taken at the hearing; the record will include today's oral comments and any written filings submitted to the proceeding.