[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Re: Invitation to a celebration of positive impact in our communities!

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Morzel, Lisa

Craig

While I appreciate your very long and detailed email outlining all the wonderful things that Xcel does for our communities, I am in a place where I cannot download the attachment and come to the page that you directed me to read. So I ask you again to please give me the courtesy of providing the basic information that I asked for in please providing me with the amount of profit that Xcel was able to receive from the state of Colorado in 2015. I will be able to figure out what Boulder's percentage would be.

While I have your attention I also would like to know where the foundation money comes from. Is it a percentage of Xcel’s profits, or are these contributions from Xcel’s ratepayers?

Again I really look forward to a direct concise response.  No detail required. Thank you very much for your time and attention to these questions.

Lisa

Sent from my iPhone



Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 8, 2016, at 2:18 PM, Eicher, Craig L <Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com<mailto:Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com>> wrote:

Lisa,

I answered your questions but please allow me to restate. Information about earnings is reported on a statewide basis – not by city. Statewide earnings information is contained within the 10K report I attached to my earlier response. For your convenience, I included page references. Thank you.
Craig Eicher
Xcel Energy | Responsible By Nature
Area Manager, Boulder Region
2655 N 63rd St   Boulder, CO 80301
P: 303-245-2254    C: 303-827-4943    F: 303-245-2292
E: craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com<mailto:craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com>
________________________________________________________
XcelEnergy.com<http://xcelenergy.com/>   Facebook.com/XcelEnergy<http://facebook.com/XcelEnergy>   Twitter.com/XcelEnergy<http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy> <http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy>

From: Morzel, Lisa [mailto:MorzelL at bouldercolorado.gov]
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2016 12:29 PM
To: Eicher, Craig L
Cc: HOTLINE
Subject: Re: Invitation to a celebration of positive impact in our communities!

________________________________
XCEL ENERGY SECURITY NOTICE: This email originated from an external sender. Exercise caution before clicking on any links or attachments and consider whether you know the sender. For more information please visit the Phishing page on XpressNET.
________________________________
Thank you, Craig, I appreciate your response but I had two simple questions and would appreciate a direct response to those.


My questions are:
What was the total profit Xcel received from city of Boulder rate payers in 2015?
Likewise, I'd like to know Xcel's total profit in 2015 from the state of Colorado rate payers?

I'm sure that information is readily available and would appreciate a very simple answer to those. It's just two numbers:
The profits Xcel received from the city of Boulder in 2015 = ?
And
The profits Xcel received from the state of Colorado in 2015 = ?

Just two numbers.

Thank you so much. I look forward to your direct response.

Lisa

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 6, 2016, at 3:08 PM, Eicher, Craig L <Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com<mailto:Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com>> wrote:
Hello, Lisa,

Thank you for your notes. Let me begin by saying we’re sorry you missed a very nice celebration at Sombrero Marsh last Tuesday. We enjoyed a sunny view of the Flatirons while listening to the stories of how eight Boulder-area nonprofits, with some help from the Xcel Energy Foundation, are moving our community forward on the environment, education, economic sustainability and arts and culture. We wish you could have been with us.

The $1.2 million Xcel Energy Foundation focus grant contribution is an amount set by our Foundation Board of Directors, which include members of senior management. Their decisions are based on their review of how the company can impact our communities most positively. It is just one of many investments we make in the 165 Colorado communities we serve in order to help keep them thriving. Our support is far-reaching – from charitable giving and employee volunteering to economic development and energy assistance programs. Annually, this amounts to over $23 million in giving and close to $1.1 billion in economic impact in our Colorado communities.



For example, in 2015, our employees volunteered more than 29 thousand hours in Colorado, encouraged by company culture and policy to do so. By the way, our Annual Day of Service is approaching on Sept 10 and we’d love to have you join us on one of our 70 statewide projects. Just let me know and I’ll send you the information.



Last year, the company and its Colorado employees contributed more than $1.85 million to the United Way. I, personally, selected Foothills United Way to receive 100 percent of my contribution, along with the company’s 100 percent match – right here where I live and work.



Xcel Energy, in concert with our customers’ generosity, contributed more than $18 million to Energy Outreach Colorado, the independent non-profit raising money to help provide home energy assistance to low-income Coloradans.



Additionally, the company supports all of the state’s chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, including very strong partnerships with regional organizations such as the Boulder Chamber, Boulder Economic Council and Boulder Tomorrow. We fund these organizations through membership dues, but also through event sponsorships, such as the BEC’s annual economic forecast in January and its economic summit in May. Employees serve on the boards of many ED and social service organizations, with the encouragement and support of our leadership.



Public Service Company is Colorado’s largest property taxpayer. And, when we spend our customers’ money on system investments, we try to do so in our own community, investing more with local vendors and in taxes than we gain in earnings. Last year, we spent more than $693 million with Colorado vendors, while contributing $316 million in local taxes.



The information about our statewide revenue and earnings can be found in public documents, including our 10-K (complete report attached). The specific information you are looking for is on page 34 as well as page 80. Regarding our business within the City of Boulder, we do not track and report earnings according to municipal jurisdictions, but please remember that our earnings, which are an allowed rate of return on investment, are regulated by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and may not exceed 9.83 percent statewide (per our 2015 multi-year rate case). In fact, due to the company’s cost-control efforts during our last multi-year rate plan between 2012 and 2014, Public Service Company’s earnings exceeded the regulated cap, and so we will begin refunding $14.9 million to our customers through their bills this August.



I think it’s worth noting that the rates our Colorado customers pay have consistently been below the national average and have risen by less than 2 percent per year for the past decade – that’s below the annual cost of living index.



Bottom line, we believe it is our responsibility to have a positive impact in Colorado, not only as a reliable energy provider, but also as a good neighbor, community advocate and environmental steward. To read more about the total positive impact we are having, please see our 2015 corporate responsibility report at www.xcelenergy.com/company/corporate_responsibility_report<http://www.xcelenergy.com/company/corporate_responsibility_report><http://www.xcelenergy.com/company/corporate_responsibility_report>.



Thank you for your note, Lisa, and I promise to keep you in mind next time we have another event celebrating the great work of our Boulder-area nonprofits.


Sincerely,

Craig Eicher
Xcel Energy | Responsible By Nature
Area Manager, Boulder Region
2655 N 63rd St   Boulder, CO 80301
P: 303-245-2254    C: 303-827-4943    F: 303-245-2292
E: craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com<mailto:craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com><mailto:craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com>
________________________________________________________
XcelEnergy.com<http://xcelenergy.com><http://xcelenergy.com/>   Facebook.com/XcelEnergy<http://facebook.com/XcelEnergy><http://facebook.com/XcelEnergy>   Twitter.com/XcelEnergy<http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy><http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy> <http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy>


From: Morzel, Lisa [mailto:MorzelL at bouldercolorado.gov]
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2016 9:04 AM
To: Eicher, Craig L; HOTLINE
Subject: Re: Invitation to a celebration of positive impact in our communities!

________________________________
XCEL ENERGY SECURITY NOTICE: This email originated from an external sender. Exercise caution before clicking on any links or attachments and consider whether you know the sender. For more information please visit the Phishing page on XpressNET.
________________________________
Hi Craig,

I would greatly appreciate your response to the questions I posed to you on June 18th.  I have included them here for your convenience:

Thank you for informing us of Xcel's generous contribution. I am sure our non-profits will greatly appreciate this as they have many compelling needs for critically underfunded services in our communities.


Xcel's $1M contribution to non-profits in Colorado prompts a few questions. Would you please provide me with the following information:
What was the total profit Xcel received from city of Boulder rate payers in 2015?
Likewise, I'd like to know Xcel's total profit in 2015 from the state of Colorado rate payers?
How was the amount of a $1M contribution to the state of Colorado communities determined?
The public would surely appreciate recognizing your generosity by seeing it as a percentage of annual profit derived from the city and other Colorado Xcel communities.


Thanks again, we are ever grateful for this contribution. I look forward to your responses and continued communication.

Lisa

Lisa Morzel
Member, Boulder City Council

303-938-8520 h
303-815-6723 c

"We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and, in at least some instances, genuine altruism.  Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment.  After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time." The Last Stand, Nathaniel Philbrick


On Jun 18, 2016, at 6:54 PM, "Morzel, Lisa" <MorzelL at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:MorzelL at bouldercolorado.gov><mailto:MorzelL at bouldercolorado.gov>> wrote:
Dear Craig,

Thank you for informing us of Xcel's generous contribution. I am sure our non-profits will greatly appreciate this as they have many compelling needs for critically underfunded services in our communities.


Xcel's $1M contribution to non-profits in Colorado prompts a few questions. Would you please provide me with the following information:
What was the total profit Xcel received from city of Boulder rate payers in 2015?
Likewise, I'd like to know Xcel's total profit in 2015 from the state of Colorado rate payers?
How was the amount of a $1M contribution to the state of Colorado communities determined?
The public would surely appreciate recognizing your generosity by seeing it as a percentage of annual profit derived from the city and other Colorado Xcel communities.


Thanks again, we are ever grateful for this contribution. I look forward to your responses and continued communication.


Most sincerely,


Lisa


Lisa Morzel
Member of Boulder City Council

Sent from my iPhone



Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 16, 2016, at 4:04 PM, Eicher, Craig L <Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com<mailto:Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com><mailto:Craig.L.Eicher at xcelenergy.com>> wrote:

Good afternoon community leaders in Boulder County,

Each year, the Xcel Energy Foundation invests more than $1 million throughout our Colorado service territory to make a positive impact on the communities we serve. Through the grants that are awarded, we support 501(c)3 organizations that provide programming in economic sustainability, the environment, arts and culture, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. I am pleased that, this year, we are awarding funding to eight organizations here in Boulder County, listed below.

On Tuesday, June 28, Xcel Energy will be hosting an awards reception for community nonprofits who will be recipients of the 2016 focus area grants, and I hope you can join us. The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. at Thorne Nature Experience in East Boulder. A detailed schedule is shown below. Funding awards will be announced at the reception for these great community partners and I hope you can help celebrate the impact they are having in our area.

Reception:

Tuesday, June 28 10:00-11:00 (with optional tour of Sombrero Marsh till 12:00)
Thorne Nature Experience, Sombrero Marsh
1466 North 63rd Street (located south of Arapahoe Rd)
Boulder, CO 80303

Media will be invited to attend this event.

PLEASE RSVP TO ME BY NEXT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 SO THAT WE CAN PLAN FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE

Updated Proposed Agenda:
10:00am – 10:15am– nonprofit organizations training (visibility steps, how to receive check in mail, etc)
10:15am-10:30am -  networking (light refreshments) and registration
10:30am-10:35am – welcome, recognize VIPs (local and state representatives, leadership, etc), brief overview of foundation
10:35am-10:55am– introduce nonprofit organizations and award notifications
10:55am-11:00am – photo ops
11:00am-11:15am– break and networking
11:15am-12:00pm - Optional tour of facilities hosted by Thorne Nature Experience

Focus Area

Organization Name

City

Arts and Culture

Dairy Arts Center

Boulder

Economic Sustainability

Attention, Inc.

Boulder

Economic Sustainability

Sister Carmen Community Center

Lafayette

Economic Sustainability

Spirit of the Sun, Inc

Louisville

Education

Cal-Wood Education Center

Jamestown

Education

Thorne Ecological Institute

Boulder

Education

Young Women's Christian Association of Boulder Colorado

Boulder

Environment

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

Boulder



Thanks, and I hope to see you at the reception!

Craig Eicher
Xcel Energy | Responsible By Nature
Area Manager, Boulder Region
2655 N 63rd St   Boulder, CO 80301
P: 303-245-2254    C: 303-827-4943    F: 303-245-2292
E: craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com<mailto:craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com><mailto:craig.l.eicher at xcelenergy.com>
________________________________________________________
XcelEnergy.com<http://xcelenergy.com><http://xcelenergy.com/>   Facebook.com/XcelEnergy<http://facebook.com/XcelEnergy><http://facebook.com/XcelEnergy>   Twitter.com/XcelEnergy<http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy><http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy> <http://twitter.com/XcelEnergy>
<PSCO 12.31.2015 10K - As filed.pdf>