You’re thinking about testifying at a Colorado PUC meeting. Let’s walk through the process.
One of the biggest impacts you can have on your utility bills is talking to the people who are designated to regulate them: Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission. (You can read more about the PUC and its role in your energy bills specifically here – our very first blog!)
We kept it simple by using the upcoming October 20th 4-6pm public comment hearing about Xcel’s plan to power large scale data centers as an example. However, should you choose to hop on PUC calls as your new hobby, this 3-step guide is detailed enough to get you started on your new ventures - ENJOY! It’s as easy as 1..2..3!
TL;DR but want to speak out about data centers ASAP?
Register for the Oct. 20th, 2026 4-6pm public comment hearing, here.
Get onto Zoom call, when prompted, click the raise hand button & the PUC will call on people in the order they raised their hands.
Write down what you want to say. You’ll only get about 2-3 minutes to speak, so make sure your comment is fewer than 450 words to come in under 3 minutes. There are pointers near the end of this blog on how to make the most of that short time. Bonus points if, after testifying on Zoom, you submit your comment as a written comment too!
Step 1: Get The Zoom Link
The PUC livestreams all of its meetings on their YouTube channel, at this link. Unlike your favorite streamers though, they don’t interact with the comment section or viewers there. Instead, if you want to share your thoughts with them, you need to join the Zoom meeting for that particular hearing.
You can find the Zoom links either on the PUC homepage, where they post that month’s public comment opportunities near the top, or on their big calendar of events.
If on the calendar, look for events that say “Public Comment” in them (but feel free to nerd out and attend their webinars and other hearings in your spare time - you do you). Click on the event you’re interested in and you’ll see a pop-up like the one in the image.
Some meetings, especially those on popular topics like the upcoming hearing on Xcel’s plan around powering large-scale data centers require advanced registration so the PUC staff can plan accordingly. Clicking on the registration link will take you off of the PUC website and to a classic Zoom meeting registration page, like this one.
For other public comment hearings, the PUC will give out the Zoom link to the meeting directly in their monthly round up or on their Calendar and you can hop right in when the time is right.
No need to be intimidated by some of the technical info in the calendar invite. It’s easy to decode once you know what you’re looking at:
For the data center public comment hearing, you see “26AL-0137E” in the calendar invitation – that’s the proceeding number (the PUC has a lot of proceedings and rulemakings happening at any given time).
Xcel Energy is the utility company that submitted the plan up for debate so they are listed in the calendar invite too.
You’ll also see the words “tariff” and “large load” – simply put, that means this hearing is about Xcel’s plan to charge “large load” customers (aka AI data centers, which require large loads of energy) a fee (aka a tariff) for their energy requirements.
Step 2: Once Prompted, Raise Your Hand
After the Zoom meeting starts, the PUC will ask anyone who wants to testify to click the “Raise Hand” button on Zoom. From there, the Commission will usually call on current Elected Officials to speak first (City Councilors, County Commissioners, State Legislators, etc.), then they will move on to the public and let people speak in the order in which they raised their hands.
If you are under a time constraint, raise your hand as quickly as possible at the start of the public comments. If your schedule is more flexible or you want to listen to what other people have to say while you form your thoughts, take a few beats before clicking to raise your hand.
Note: They will call on you based on how your name is listed on Zoom, you can follow these instructions to change your display name.
Step 3: Write Down What You Want To Say
Each person usually has 2-3 minutes to speak – the PUC is especially strict on this during really popular hearings. For example, the last hearing on Xcel’s plan to power large data centers was scheduled for 4-6pm, but ended up lasting nearly 4 hours due to how many people showed up to make their voices heard! If they hadn’t kept people’s comments to 2-3 minutes, that hearing could have lasted all night.
To make the most of your time, write down the top 2-3 points of what you want to say, if not your full remarks. 1 minute = approximately 150 words, meaning a 3-minute comment should not exceed 450 words. If you write down your full remarks, you can submit them as a written comment to the PUC too (our instructions for that are here) – double duty for your time!
What makes an effective public comment for the PUC? Here are our tips for the upcoming meeting on Xcel’s plan to power large data centers:
Make it personal and tell your story:
State where you live, and whether Xcel provides your electric or gas service.
Stay positive! The Commission has thousands of pages of highly technical information to sift through in proceedings. Strong, positive messages can help make what you say stand out in a sea of data.
Tell the Commissioners why it’s important for there to be rigid guardrails protecting Coloradans from having to pay for new power and transmission resources needed by data centers, and to build more clean energy and keep Colorado on track for meeting its decarbonization goals.
Emotions and stories are the most compelling form of narrative; speak from the heart whenever you can.
Include a few key facts:
Pick just two or three key data points to include in your personal comments.
Do NOT get bogged down in highly technical information.
Know your audience:
The PUC has multiple objectives, among them: ensuring that homes and businesses have reliable electricity and heating; meeting Colorado’s statutory requirements for cutting greenhouse gas emissions; and keeping gas and electric rates affordable, including by insulating customers from cost increases related to data centers.
The PUC will be issuing rules on data centers and the generation and transmission resources necessary to power them; it is NOT considering halting data center growth. They don’t have purview or interest in other issues, including local siting debates or AI regulation more broadly.
Thank the PUC for its commitment to hearing from Coloradans – and protecting customers from the impacts of data center development in the state.
Still feeling those nerves? That’s normal! High utility bills, getting ripped off by corporate greed, public speaking in front of people you don’t know – it all feels deeply personal and deeply important.
That’s where those YouTube livestreams can come in handy too! Scroll through and watch a few minutes of the last hearing on Xcel’s data center plan from August – you’ll be able to see how the start of the meeting works with the raising of (virtual) hands and can skip around to see what people like you spoke about.
From weatherizing your home, to adding energy efficient appliances, there are a lot of ways to help control and lower your energy bills. Talking to the Public Utilities Commission to ensure corporate greed isn’t slipping into our bills is another way – and it’s free. Take the time to make a BIG difference today.
Want to get access to a Signal chat of other people testifying on PUC calls to help pass the time, ask questions, and hype each other up? Email us at hello@poweringcolo.org.
