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About CAMU
The voice of public power in Colorado
ABOUT CAMU
The voice of public
power in Colorado
Since 1960, the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities has been the voice of public power in Colorado. Today, CAMU represents 28 Colorado cities and towns who own and operate their own electric service systems, also known as municipally owned utilities (MOUs). These 28 communities serve over 507,000 Coloradans representing 18% of customers in the state. CAMU advocates for these communities and their MOUs to maintain their ability to stay local, accountable, and cost-effective.
Local
The community owns the utility and decisions are made locally, rather than by a board of investors, making public power immediately responsive to community needs.
Accountable
The MOU is directly accountable to the community they serve through locally elected or appointed officials, giving customers greater control over utility decisions.
Cost-effective
MOUs are public power which means these utilities are not-for-profit. Public power customers only pay the costs necessary to provide the electric service they receive. This business model makes public power cost-competitive when compared to other types of utilities. Public power also has access to tax-exempt financing for major infrastructure projects.
LEADERSHIP
Board of directors
The CAMU Board of directors comprises of seven (7) members elected by the Association’s full membership. The board represents the diversity of public power in Colorado, from vertically integrated utilities to generation and transmission wholesalers, joint action agencies, and city- and town-owned distribution utilities. The board works with the executive director to carry out CAMU’s strategic initiatives and support advocacy efforts for all 28 member utilities. Board members serve staggered three-year terms. Terms are unlimited.
Adam Suppes, Municipal Light & Power Manager
City of Delta Utilities
President
Adam Suppes has dedicated 30 years of service to Delta Municipal Light & Power, where he is now Manager. Adam is charged with overseeing a team of XX members who deliver reliable electric services to over 9,000 residents in Colorado’s Western Slope.
Rick Rigel, General Manager
Arkansas River Power Authority
Vice President
Rick Rigel has spent over 40 years working with public power utilities and has been the General Manager of the Arkansas River Power Authority since 2012. Prior to this he was the Superintendent for the Lamar Utilities Board. Rick has served on the CAMU Board of Directors since 2012 and is currently the Board Vice Chair.
Dave Hornbacher, Assistant City Manager
City of Longmont
Secretary
David Hornbacher has been a CAMU Board member since 2011 and has worked in the Colorado utilities sector for over 40 years.
Presently he is the Assistant City Manager at the City of Longmont responsible for Utilities, Public Works and Engineering including Electric, Water, and Wastewater services.
Previously, David was the Director of the City of Aspen Utilities and Environmental Initiatives for nine years, overseeing the city’s water and electric services and portfolios, hydroelectric operations, and environmental health, climate action and sustainability. In 2015, David led his team at Aspen Utilities to become the third municipal electric utility in the nation with a 100% renewable electric energy portfolio, a key community goal.
He has also worked as the Xcel Energy New Business Manager for the Boulder, Colorado region where he was a member of the “Smart Grid City” implementation team – and has held earlier progressive roles at Colorado Springs Utilities and the City of Longmont.
Travas Deal, Chief Executive Officer
Colorado Springs Utilities
Board member
Travas Deal has championed municipal utility interests since 2017 through various leadership roles at Colorado Springs Utilities and has served as a key member of the CAMU Board since his election in 2020. As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Colorado Springs Utilities, he leads one of the nation’s few four-service, municipally owned utilities, overseeing more than 2,000 employees and the delivery of electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater services, including support for four military installations.  Under his leadership, the utility has achieved major milestones such as the safe demolition of the Martin Drake Power Plant, commissioning new natural gas and renewable generation, and earning the American Public Power Association’s Diamond Reliable Public Power Provider designation. Travas has served in senior positions at Duke Energy and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, and earlier service as a United States Marine.
Leigh Gibson, Senior External Affairs Specialist
Platte River Power Authority
Board member
Leigh Gibson is the Senior External Affairs Specialist at Platte River Power Authority, where she leads state government affairs. Leigh brings a diverse background in policy and stakeholder engagement and has expertise in government affairs, grants management, and research. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from Boston College and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Studies from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband, two children, and their rescue pup.
Dan Blankenship, Utility Director
City of Fountain Utilities
Treasurer
Dan Blankenship is a registered Professional Engineer with 38 years of experience in local government administration, utilities, and public works. Currently, Dan is the Utilities Director for the City of Fountain. In addition to serving on the CAMU Board, Dan is active in his community and professionally by serving on the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce Board, the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority, the Fountain Sanitation District Board, the Fountain Valley (water) Authority Board, and he was appointed by the Governor and serves on the State Air Quality Control Commission. Prior to his position in Fountain, he worked for the City of Stillwater, Oklahoma, for 16 years as the Deputy City Manager and Director of the Stillwater Utilities Authority. While in Oklahoma, in addition to serving on multiple boards and commissions, Dan was appointed to the State Environment Board by the Governor and served in that capacity for 4 years, taking an active role in rule making for air, land, and water. Dan grew up in Cañon City, Colorado and has a Civil Engineering Degree from Colorado State University. Dan and his wife Lisa, who is a high school teacher in Colorado Springs, enjoy a very active lifestyle and all things outdoors, especially mountain biking, two-stepping their way around Southern Colorado, floating the Arkansas River, and camping. Together Dan and Lisa are blessed with 5 adult children and 14 grandchildren.
Brent Nation, City Manager
City of Fort Morgan
Board member
Brent Nation has been the City Manager of Fort Morgan since 2022. Brent was raised in Fort Morgan and has held various roles with the city over the past 30 years, starting with a summer opportunity in the city’s engineering office and including 10 years as the city’s utilities director. He also served a three-year term on the City Council.
Staff
Nicole Means, Executive Director
CAMU
Nicole Means is the Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities and represents the 28 community-owned utilities operating in the state. She is based in Colorado Springs and works as a Government Affairs Liaison for Colorado Springs Utilities at the State Capitol. Her expertise is in legislative analysis, cross-sector relations, and public administration. She has served in key roles within the Colorado House of Representatives and actively contributes to statewide organizations to advance the interest of public power. Nicole holds a B.A. in Global Studies and is pursuing her Master of Public Administration at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
COMMITTEES
Working Committees
Kara Miller, Lobbyist
CAMU
Lobbying and advocacy
TBD
Dan Hodges, General Manager of Government
Colorado Springs Utilities
Director of Policy, CAMU
Dan Hodges serves as CAMU’s Director of Policy working with the Executive Director to advise on the strategic direction and advocacy work for the Association. Dan brings to this role his experience as CAMU’s former Executive Director, 25-plus years of experience in both state and federal public policy, and his unwavering commitment to public power.
Leigh Gibson, Senior External Affairs Specialist
Platte River Power Authority
Legislative Affairs Committee Chair
Leigh Gibson leads CAMU’s Legislative Affairs Committee working with the Executive Director and lobbyist to monitor state legislation impacting the Association’s 28 members. Through recurring meetings throughout the year, the Legislative Affairs Committee will convene to discuss, analyze and determine the position CAMU will take on legislation and policies.
Javier C. Camacho, Senior Manager of External Affairs
Platte River Power Authority
Communications Committee Chair
Javier C. Camacho leads CAMU’s Communications Committee. The committee convenes communication professionals across the CAMU network to work with the Executive Director on developing effective and informative messaging on public power, support for actions and advocacy by CAMU, and publicly available educational materials and platforms like the website.
ABOUT CAMU
Our core
advocacy principles
The Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities (CAMU) is the nonprofit legislative advocacy organization for Colorado’s public power communities.
CAMU’s core advocacy principles:
Local
control
Preserving community-led decision-making for municipally owned utilities.
Municipally owned utilities (MOUs) are governed by locally elected and appointed boards whose primary goal is to do what is best for the communities they serve. This gives every person and business the opportunity to thrive and prosper. MOUs have some of the lowest electric rates in the state and provide broad-ranging energy efficiency and utility payment assistance programs.
State Constitutional protections
Educating elected officials on municipally owned utilities (MOUs) constitutional rights and protections.
Article XX outlines a MOU’s right to provide electric service inside and outside municipal limits.
Article XI establishes the right to join together to provide electric generation and transmission services.
Article V provides protections from the General Assembly establishing regulatory control over MOUs.
Article XXV provides protections from the jurisdiction of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission over MOUs.
Reliability &
Affordability
Promoting policies that advance the affordability and reliability of electric service, and safeguarding against overly burdensome or unnecessary regulations.
Colorado’s public power communities have the lowest average electric bills in the state. CAMU conducts a semi-annual survey of Colorado’s distribution electric utilities to compare customers’ electric bills in four categories.
There are 36 members in the Colorado General Assembly who represent public power communities, including 24 State representatives and 12 State senators. Representation at the Colorado State Capitol include:
MEMBERS
CAMU members
CAMU is made up of all 28 Colorado communities with municipally owned utilities (MOUs). They include:
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City of Aspen Utilities
3,126 customers
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City of Burlington Utilities
2,039 customers
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Town of Center Utilities
903 customers
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Colorado Springs Utilities
260,682 customers
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City of Delta Utilities
3,706 customers
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Town of Estes Park – Power and Communications
11,250 customers
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Town of Fleming Utilities
223 customers
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
79,990 customers
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
79,990 customers
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City of Fort Morgan
7,134 customers
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City of Fountain Utilities
18,290 customers
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City of Glenwood Springs Electric
6,573 customers
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Town of Granada
318 customers
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City of Gunnison Public Works
4,658 customers
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Town of Haxtun
607 customers
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Town of Holly
573 customers
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City of Holyoke
1,222 customers
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Town of Julesburg
963 customers
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City of La Junta Electric Department
3,808 customers
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City of Lamar – Light and Power
4,096 customers
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City of Las Animas
2,086 customers
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City of Longmont – Power and Communications
43,741 customers
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City of Loveland Utilities
42,375 customers
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Town of Lyons
1,126 customers
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Town of Oak Creek
679 customers
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Town of Springfield
944 customers
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Trinidad Municipal Power and Light
4,680 customers
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City of Wray
1,325 customers
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City of Yuma
1,615 customers
The three JAAs that serve Colorado include:
Arkansas River Power Authority (ARPA) serving the municipalities of:
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Holly
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La Junta
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Lamar
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Las Animas
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Springfield
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Trinidad
Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) serving the municipalities of:
​
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Aspen
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Delta
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Glenwood Springs
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Fleming
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Fort Morgan
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Gunnison
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Haston
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Holyoke
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Julesberg
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Lyons
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Oak Creek
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Wray
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Yuma
Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) serving the municipalities of:
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Estes Park
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Fort Collins
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Longmont
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Loveland
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