As used in this article 42, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. (1) Acquire means to obtain eligible facilities by lease, construction, reconstruction, purchase, or, as authorized by section 40-42-104 (1)(p) and subject to the requirements of articles 1 to 7 of title 38, the exercise of the power of eminent domain.
2. (2) Authority means the Colorado electric transmission authority created in section 40-42-103.
3. (3) Board means the board of directors of the authority.
4. (4) Bonds means electric transmission bonds issued as authorized by this article 42 and includes notes, warrants, bonds, temporary bonds, and anticipation notes issued by the authority.
5. (5) Commission means the public utilities commission created in section 40-2-101.
6. (6) Electric transmission authority operational fund or operational fund means the fund created in section 40-42-106.
7. (7) Electric transmission bonding fund or bonding fund means the fund created in section 40-42-105 (3).
8. (8) Electric utility means an entity operating for the purpose of supplying or transmitting electricity to the public for domestic, mechanical, or public uses and includes a municipally owned utility, a transmission utility, as defined in section 40-5-108 (1)(b), a cooperative electric association, a wholesale electric cooperative, as defined in section 40-2-136 (3)(c), a nonprofit electric corporation or association, and every other vertically integrated supplier of electric energy supplying electric energy for its customers or for the use of its own members.
9. (9) Eligible facilities means facilities that are financed or acquired by the authority.
10. (10) Facilities means electric transmission facilities and all related structures, properties, and supporting infrastructure, including any interests therein. The term does not include interconnection facilities from an electric generator, or from a storage project that is used for electric generation, to a facility.
11. (11) FERC means the federal energy regulatory commission.
12. (12) Finance or financing means the lending of bond proceeds by the authority to a public utility or other private person for the purpose of planning, acquiring, operating, and maintaining eligible facilities in whole or in part by the public utility or other private person.
13. (13) Local government means a county, home rule or statutory city, town, territorial charter city, or city and county.
14. (13.5) Powerline trail has the meaning set forth in section 33-45-102 (5).

15. (14) Project means an undertaking by the authority to finance or to:

    1. (a) Plan, acquire, maintain, and operate eligible facilities located partly or entirely within Colorado; or
    2. (b) Renovate, rebuild, or recondition existing eligible facilities, that are located partly or entirely within Colorado and are approved through a local government's land-use application process, to upgrade and optimize the existing facilities.
16. (15) Storage has the same meaning as energy storage systemas defined in section 40-2-202 (2).

Source: L. 2021: Entire article added, (SB 21-072), ch. 329, p. 2114, § 4, effective June 24. L. 2022: (13.5) added, (HB 22-1104), ch. 97, p. 466, § 6, effective April 13. L. 2023: (14) amended, (SB 23-016), ch. 165, p. 748, § 22, effective August 7.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 22-1104, see section 1 of chapter 97, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.