PUC Under Scrutiny

Lawmakers Demand Answers from the PUC

Think Mile High Cab is alone in facing unusual rulings from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission? Think it's odd that Commissioners are getting travel money from a corporation and a foreign government? Think PUC delays and holdups that block job creation bears further scrutiny? So does the Colorado State Legislature.

In the words of State Senator Scott Renfroe, after learning how Mile High Cab's 150 entrepreneurs have been blocked from freely competitng in Colorado's taxi market, "You hear a story like the taxi story and you just want to get to the bottom of things."

Well said, sir.

The headlines are mounting and lawmakers are hearing more and more cases where the PUC has been actuing ... unusually. Today's Denver Post headline tells the story.

Colorado legislators seek audit of PUC after year of notable decisions

By Mark Jaffe
The Denver Post

An audit of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which is embroiled in a series of high-profile cases, is being sought by two members of the Legislative Audit Committee.

The request is prompted by disputes over commission actions on energy, taxicab and telecommunication issues, said state Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley.

"We felt it was appropriate to ask for a performance audit of the PUC to see if they are complying with the laws, to get an unbiased source and take this out of the political fray," Renfroe said

and later ....

 

Representatives for a startup cab company seeking to operate in Denver — Mile High Cab — told the transportation committee Wednesday that the PUC had erected barriers to its entering the market.

The company has been waiting 861 days for a final ruling — more than four times the statutory limit, said Tom Russell, the company's attorney.

"You hear a story like the taxi story and you just want to get to the bottom of things," Renfroe said.

Read the whole story here.