Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada

On December 17, 2025, Xcel Energy cut power to my neighborhood in west Arvada under a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) without actual high-risk conditions. (Neighborhood: Sunrise Ridge.)

The most troubling aspect is how arbitrary and unnecessary this shutdown appears to be. All surrounding neighborhoods — including areas that are more exposed to wind — have had power restored or were never shut off, while our neighborhood remains de-energized. This inconsistency makes it clear that if there were a legitimate ongoing wildfire risk, power would not have been restored to adjacent areas. Xcel has provided no explanation for why our area was singled out.

Xcel initially told residents that power would be restored by 6:00 PM. That commitment was missed. Hours later, there was still no ETA, and residents were then told the power could remain shut off into Friday, creating ongoing uncertainty with no clear justification or communication.

This outage has caused real and avoidable harm, including:

• Food loss, as refrigerators and freezers warmed after prolonged outages

• Work disruptions

• Childcare and family safety challenges, including caring for young children in dark, cold homes

• Pet safety concerns, especially for animals dependent on climate control

• Health and medical impacts, including households that rely on electric-powered medical devices, temperature-sensitive medications, or stable indoor conditions for health reasons
  
  

While wildfire prevention is critical, this PSPS reflects a blunt and poorly targeted approach rather than a proportional, risk-based decision. It appears to be an overcorrection following past wildfire-related liability, and such overcorrection should not come at the expense of customer health, safety, and basic reliability in low-risk suburban areas.

Most concerning, Xcel’s communication and responsiveness demonstrate a lack of attentiveness to customer needs. Residents were given inaccurate restoration information, no meaningful updates, and no transparency into decision-making — leaving families to manage significant disruption without guidance or support.

Xcel Energy must be held accountable for this event. The Colorado PUC should require clear explanations, review whether PSPS criteria are being over-applied in suburban Front Range communities, and ensure stronger oversight and corrective action so this type of arbitrary and harmful shutdown does not happen again.