It took 23 years, but Ron Binz has become chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission – at just the right time.
Binz, a well-respected utilities consultant and consumer advocate, was one of Gov. Bill Ritter’s first nominees and was confirmed by the state Senate on a 34-1 vote in late January.
It was a different story in 1984, when then- Gov. Dick Lamm nominated Binz for the three-member panel. The nomination failed – twice – with 18 state senators voting “no” and 17 voting “yes.” Binz was strongly opposed by the state’s two largest utilities, Mountain Bell (now Qwest) and the Public Service Co. of Colorado (now Xcel Energy). Among other things, Binz’s questions about the costs of Public Service’s Fort St. Vrain nuclear power plant (since decommissioned) made him a target. Attack literature, including a photo of a pony-tailed Binz from his college years, was traced back to Public Service operatives.
Binz bounced back as the first head of the state’s Office of Consumer Counsel, a job he held from 1984 to 1995, earning a reputation as a strong consumer advocate. The office represents consumers before the PUC.
Binz has been an energy and telecommunications consultant since 1995. His nomination was widely hailed – including by utilities.
His expertise and independence should prove very valuable in a utility landscape vastly different from that of 1984. Climate change has raised concerns about traditional methods of electrical generation, rising energy costs have spurred interest in renewable energy, and the telecommunications business continues to change rapidly.
Binz told The Denver Post last week that he expects to be the utility-regulation point man for Ritter and for the renewable-energy platform being promoted by Ritter and the legislature. It will be a broad agenda. He plans to focus on reduction of carbon emissions, promotion of alternative fuels and energy efficiency, reducing telecommunictions regulation and extending high-speed Internet access to underserved parts of the state, as well as keeping in mind the financial health of the state’s utility companies.
As Colorado faces a new energy future, we can’t think of better person to lead the PUC than Ron Binz.
