Commissioner James Tarpey
Jim Tarpey was appointed as a Commissioner of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission by Gov. Bill Ritter, Jr., and began serving on January 2, 2008. On December 12, 2008, he was reappointed to a full four-year term that expires in January, 2013.
As an attorney, Jim has extensive experience with utility matters. He participated in numerous regulatory proceedings involving alternative forms of regulation (e.g., incentive ratemaking, performance-based pricing, indexing, and discounted rated structures); rate related issues (e.g., revenue requirements, cost allocation, rate design, adjustment clauses, prudence reviews); territorial, and certificate disputes; and issues related to local telecommunication markets and the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
Jim appeared often before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission,
the Wyoming Public Service Commission, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission litigating complex utility issues and negotiating settlements of multi-million dollar disputes.
In 2004 Jim was appointed by Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal to the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, a state instrumentality with funding authority whose goals include improving the state’s electric transmission system, facilitating the increased utilization of Wyoming’s coal and wind resources, and coordinating with other states in the western system power grid to address transmission constraints.
From 2001 through 2007, Jim was in private practice and generally represented energy consumers in utility proceedings. From 1996 through 2000, he was a business executive involved in regulatory matters. From 1977 through 1996, he was in private practice and represented various utilities. Prior to private practice, he was an Administrative Law Judge for the Colorado PUC and an Assistant Attorney General representing the Colorado PUC. From 1968 through 1972 he was a Special Agent with the FBI.
Jim received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Saint John’s University in 1965 and a law degree from Fordham University in 1968.
Jim and Mary Ann were married in 1969 and have two adult children. Jim and Mary Ann enjoy various outdoor activities such as hiking, bicycling, snowshoeing and sea kayaking. Both also enjoy reading and traveling.
Downloadable photo of Commissioner Tarpey - JPG
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