Dive Brief:
- Colorado Public Utilities Commission Chairman Joshua Epel will resign effective Jan. 1, two years ahead of his term, after serving more than five years in the role, the Denver Business Journal reports.
- Epel was appointed chairman of the PUC in 2011, and was re-appointed in December 2014 by Gov. John Hickenlooper. His term was set to expire in 2019.
- Epel has not said where he will head after leaving the PUC. Hickenlooper's office has indicated a search is underway for his replacement.
Dive Insight:
Epel has shepherded the PUC through a host of solar issues, most recently approving a landmark settlement between Xcel Energy and the state's solar industry that is expected to help grow Colorado's renewable energy market. Hickenlooper said in a statement that as chairman, Epel "has been instrumental in transforming Colorado’s business climate and growing our economy."
“He helped modernize the state’s regulatory environment with consistency and thoughtfulness," the governor said in a statement.
Though Colorado was divided over the Clean Power Plan, Epel supported compliance, likening it to buying insurance on a house.
"For the same reason I own insurance on my house, when I don’t expect it to catch on fire.”
Epel spoke with the Denver Business Journal, saying he has accomplished what he wanted at the PUC. “We’ve had major dockets this year and it’s time to try a new adventure," he told the Journal, though he did not specify what "adventure" may be next.
Outside of energy, while at the PUC Epel oversaw the entry of ride sharing companies Uber and Lyft into the Colorado marketplace and he was also involved in transforming the states telecommunications services.
“We have such momentum that the next chairperson will have a tremendous opportunity to keep moving forward," Epel said in a statement.
