Justine Freeman

The commission conducted officer elections for Chair and Vice Chair, resulting in the appointment of new leadership. Members discussed the commission's role in the state plan duties and process flow. A detailed review of the 2025 calendar year energy assistance spending was provided, highlighting allocations across various subgrantee agencies, investor-owned utility territories, and program measures including energy efficiency and beneficial electrification.

The commission held a meeting to conduct new commissioner introductions and discuss administrative updates, including the correction of rounding errors in previous financial allocations. A major focus of the meeting was the commission officer election, which resulted in a motion to table the vote until a seventh member is appointed, with the current vice chair presiding in the interim. The commission also entered into an executive session to receive legal advice regarding permissible lobbying activities, the allocation of funds, and mandatory training on open record and open meeting laws.

This document outlines the legislative framework and committee activities for comprehensive transit reform for the Regional Transportation District, established by Senate Bill 25-161. The reform emphasizes prioritizing ridership growth, worker retention, safety, and aligning with statewide climate goals, including greenhouse gas reduction targets and the Governor's "Transportation Vision 2035." The RTD Accountability Committee is tasked with evaluating and making recommendations on the district's governance structure, paratransit services, and workforce retention. The legislation also mandates the creation of a ten-year strategic plan by September 2026 to identify performance measures, service expansion, and fiscal sustainability to achieve these strategic priorities.

The 2023 Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan provides a strategic roadmap for interagency collaboration to accelerate the adoption of diverse electric transportation options across the state. It outlines comprehensive goals and actions across several key pillars, including: increasing light-duty EV adoption and infrastructure development, integrating medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles with supporting infrastructure, and expanding electric mobility solutions such as micromobility and shared electric modes. Additionally, the plan addresses cross-cutting initiatives focused on meeting state government executive order directives, developing equity-centered programming, building a resilient zero-emission vehicle workforce, and leveraging federal funding. The ultimate vision is to significantly increase EV adoption, establish robust charging infrastructure, and ensure equitable access, with targets extending to 2050.

The meeting focused on several technical updates related to electric vehicle infrastructure planning. Key discussion points included an update from the Electrotempo team on the preliminary results of the Colorado medium and heavy duty charging hub network sighting analysis, utilizing a bottom-up approach based on observed truck activity and depot locations to forecast 2035 demand clusters. The presenters detailed the methodology, which assesses zones based on demand, economics, energy grid capacity, and strategic value, including proximity to freight nodes and equity factors. The discussion also covered route types (local vs. regional vs. interstate), major shippers like Amazon, and the significance of demand clustering for grid impact. A demonstration of the dynamic modeling tool was provided, and next steps involve incorporating stakeholder input to refine zones for program design recommendations. Furthermore, a legislative update reviewing relevant utility and energy policies was planned.