Prepared remarks: Innovation for a More Affordable Colorado (Oct. 14, 2025)
It is a pleasure to be with you today to discuss a topic that is rightfully top of mind for both policymakers and community members: how to make Colorado more affordable for everyone. This is a huge issue for our stateâone we absolutely have to tackle. Nearly nine out of ten Coloradans say the cost of living is a serious problem. And seven in ten worry they may not be able to stay in the state they love because it will become too expensive. Thatâs not just a statisticâitâs a crisis of belonging.[1] And we know these challenges disproportionately impact certain communities, like Hispanic, Latino, and Black Coloradans, and often overlap with other challenges like mental health and healthcare concerns.[2] We owe it to these communities, and our whole state, to do better.
A few key areas, including energy, transportation, and housing, call for a particular focus from state and local policymakers. These are some of the largest and most essential line items in Coloradansâ day-to-day budgets, and they are the baseline expenses for our ability to live, work, and raise our families. They are also areas where smart, innovative policy solutions can move the needle. In the face of challenges like increasing housing costs and supply challenges, the transition to cleaner energy sources, the need to repair and modernize our transportation infrastructure, and uncertainty caused by volatile tariff policies and other reckless actions at the federal level, we need to be âall inâ together to develop smart solutions. Today, I will share a few thoughts in each of these areas for how we can do just that.
When it comes to energy, Coloradans have already been grappling with high costs, while now facing actions by the federal governmentâincluding the repeal of federal clean energy tax credits as part of the recent H.R. 1 budget billâthat are estimated to increase energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year.[3] Even as Washington makes it harder, Colorado must stay focused: keeping energy affordable, modernizing our grid, and moving to cleaner energy sources. It will be critical to focus, including through oversight by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, on making smart energy infrastructure investments that do not pass excessive costs onto utility ratepayers and create win-win opportunities through more dynamic management of a range of energy uses. On the positive side, Colorado already has several programs focused on improving energy affordability and facilitating household upgrades like weatherization, solar energy, and high-efficiency appliances that, over time, can help alleviate high energy bill costs.[4] In the near term, Coloradoâs bill assistance programs can help support those who are struggling to make ends meet.[5] As we move forward, we can strive to maximize the return on these energy investments by first prioritizing programs for communities that bear especially high energy cost burdens, including rural communities (especially those that rely on propane) and low-income households.[6]
On the topic of smart investments for rural communities, it is worth briefly emphasizing another priority for Colorado: ensuring universal quality broadband access. In todayâs world, being online is essentialâfrom accessing job opportunities and participating in the economy, to critical resources like healthcare and education. And thereâs a connection between broadband and smart energy use, too, as broadband connectivity can even help facilitate energy affordability by allowing households to more easily participate in programs like time-of-use rates that provide for lower energy costs for use outside of peak times.[7] Thatâs why I advocated for broadband funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, leading a coalition of state attorneys general. Unfortunately, even though those funds were authorized in 2021, almost no money was sent out to be spent by the end of 2024.[8]
To add insult onto injury as to the management of this program, earlier this year, just as states were ready to move forward, federal officials changed the rules for broadband funding. Instead of prioritizing reliable, high-quality fiber connections for rural Colorado, the new rules shifted funds toward cheaper, less dependable options like satellite service.[9] That last-minute change caused delays and forced us to revise our plans. But setbacks wonât stop us. Colorado will keep pushingâusing both state and federal resourcesâto make sure every community has access to fast, affordable internet.
Transportation is another area ripe for smart improvements to help Coloradans save money. It may surprise some to learn that, for the average household, transportation costs are the second highest expense just behind housing costs.[10] In Denver, for example, housing, transportation, and food costs accounted for 63% of household spending in recent years.[11] For those on lower incomes, these costs can represent an even larger piece of their budget.[12] A substantial portion of these costs are a result of buying and maintaining cars,[13] which points to a few key areas where we can do better. First, a report from this year found that poor road conditions are costing individual Coloradans hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars per year in vehicle maintenance costs and safety-related costs after collisions.[14] Statewide, this adds up to billions of dollars.[15] Especially as our population continues to grow and traffic congestion worsens, it will be critical for Colorado to invest in improving our roads to help reduce these unnecessary costs.
We should also continue to explore strategies for improving our public transit and methods to help encourage alternative forms of transportation, like biking and walking, whichâwhen they are available and convenientâcan be dramatically more cost-effective for everyday travel. For public transit especially, it is important to ensure there are options available where people live, and this should be a factor for consideration as we work to tackle housing shortages. New legislation passed in recent years has been a good start, including to provide additional funding to study and improve public transportation.[16] There is still much work to be doneâparticularly in improving the methods and strategies through which we will accomplish thisâbut this should remain a focus as we consider how to make Colorado a better and more affordable place to live.
When it comes to housing affordability, even more so than in these other areas, we will need to think creatively to make progress. We can take inspiration from programs like the Colorado Partnership for Education and Rural Revitalization (COPERR), which our office helped launch and which is taking an innovative approach to tackling the housing shortage in southeast Colorado. The program focuses on revitalizing unoccupied and blighted homes in the area by partnering with local community colleges to facilitate training programs, simultaneously addressing workforce development challenges, creating opportunities for graduates, and increasing the supply of livable homes.[17] This program was developed through listening to communities and local leaders about what they needed, creative thinking, and a desire to ensure that we are tackling our housing challenges across all corners of the stateânot just in our largest cities. This program was developed through listening to communities and local leaders about what they needed, creative thinking, and a desire to ensure that we are tackling our housing challenges across all corners of the stateânot just in our largest cities. We will need to carry this innovative spirit forward as we work to develop solutions.
At the same time as we work on building more housing, it will be critical to ensure that the market for housing is fair to renters and other consumers, and that large corporate landlords are not permitted to use deceptive and illegal tactics like algorithmic pricing schemes to game the system to the detriment of everyday Coloradans. Thatâs why our office has gone after RealPage, a revenue management software company, and a number of large corporate landlords for doing just that.[18] We will need to stay vigilant to ensure the market is fair for consumers who are already struggling to afford housing and rent.
Coloradoâs affordability challenges are significant, but not insurmountable. I am confident that by working together, with an innovative spirit and a willingness to learn, we will be able to make Colorado a more affordable place to live, and a place where we all can thrive. Especially in the face of increasing challenges and unpredictability at the federal level, we need to come together here in Colorado to develop smart, sustainable solutions. Thank you all for engaging in this important work, and I look forward to collaborating with many of you on the road ahead.
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[1] 2025 Pulse Highlights, The Colorado Health Foundation, https://www.copulsepoll.org/ (opens new tab).
[2] Virginia Garcia Ovejero Pivik, Coloradoâs Hispanic/Latino Communities Sound the Alarm: Housing, Health Care and Public Safety at Breaking Point, The Colorado Health Foundation (Sept. 10, 2025), https://www.copulsepoll.org/news/colorados-hispaniclatino-communities-sound-alarm-housing-health-care-and-public-safety (opens new tab).
[3] Updated: Economic Impacts of U.S. âOne Big Beautiful Bill Actâ Energy Provisions, Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology (July 1, 2025), https://energyinnovation.org/report/updated-economic-impacts-of-u-s-senate-passed-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-energy-provisions/ (opens new tab); Mark Jaffe, Trump v. Colorado: How the presidentâs energy agenda is clashing with the stateâs lofty green ambitions, Colorado Sun (July 23, 2025), https://coloradosun.com/2025/07/23/clean-energy-goals-colorado-greenhouse-gas-emissions-trump/ (opens new tab).
[4] Pathways to Energy Affordability in Colorado, Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy (January 2022), https://www.psehealthyenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Colorado-Energy-Affordability-Study_Full-Report.pdf [PDF] [hereinafter PSE Report].
[5] Id; Colorado Energy Savings Navigator, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Public Utility Commission, https://puc.colorado.gov/energy-savings (opens new tab).
[6] PSE Report, supra note 3.
[7] Id.
[8] John Hendel, âPeople need to see itâ: How politics hung up a $42B Biden internet buildout, Politico (Sept. 4, 2024), https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/04/biden-broadband-program-swing-state-frustrations-00175845?ref=compactmag.com (opens new tab).
[9] Tamara Chuang, Colorado must redo its affordable broadband plan to adhere to new federal rules, Colorado Sun (June 10, 2025), https://coloradosun.com/2025/06/10/colorado-broadband-satellite-starlink-fiber-internet/ (opens new tab).
[10] Por Jaijongkit, Is transportation a top household expense in the US?, Colorado Sun (Apr 28, 2025), https://coloradosun.com/2025/04/28/is-transportation-a-top-household-expense-in-the-us/ (opens new tab).
[11] Consumer Expenditures for the Denver Metropolitan Areaâ2022-23, Bureau of Labor Statistics (Oct. 28, 2024), https://www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/news-release/consumerexpenditures_denver.htm (opens new tab).
[12] Transportation Issues & Homelessness Issue Brief 2024, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, https://www.coloradocoalition.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/TransitHomelessnessIssueBrief_CCH__2024.pdf [PDF].
[13] Por Jaijongkit, Is transportation a top household expense in the US?, Colorado Sun (Apr 28, 2025), https://coloradosun.com/2025/04/28/is-transportation-a-top-household-expense-in-the-us/ (opens new tab).
[14] Colorado Motorists Lose $11.4 Billion Per Year Driving on Roads That are Rough, Congested & Lack Some Desirable Safety Features â Up To $3,000 Per Driver In Some Areas, TRIP (Jan. 22, 2025), https://tripnet.org/reports/keeping-colorado-mobile-statewide-news-release-01-22-2025/ (opens new tab).
[15] Id.
[16] Matt Frommer, A deep dive into Coloradoâs 2024 housing, land use, and transit legislation, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) (June 14, 2024), https://www.swenergy.org/colorado-climate-transit-2024-blog-1/ (opens new tab); Colorado makes progress on building performance, transportation, housing in 2025 legislative session, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) (May 9, 2025), https://www.swenergy.org/colorado-leg-2025/ (opens new tab).
[17] Colorado Partnership for Education and Rural Revitalization, Colorado Department of Law, https://coag.gov/coperr/.
[18] Colorado joins Justice Department in suing six large landlords for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms millions of renters, Colorado Department of Law (Jan. 7, 2025), https://coag.gov/press-releases/1-7-25/; Attorney General Phil Weiser secures agreement from corporate landlord Cortland to end illegal use of rent pricing software, Colorado Department of Law (Apr. 11, 2025), https://coag.gov/press-releases/phil-weiser-agreement-cortland-illegal-rent-pricing-software-4-11-25/.