Elbert County nixes permits, short-circuiting part of Xcel Energy’s $1.7B transmission project

Elbert County has denied the permits that Xcel Power requirements to build a portion of a billion transmission project aimed at boosting the electric grid s quota The utility could now turn to the courts or state regulators to advance its Colorado Power Pathway The Elbert County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to reject Xcel s request saying the application was incomplete and didn t meet the county s regulations The commissioners will meet Wednesday July to finalize their decision Xcel which launched the transmission project in commented it will review the county s final resolution and consider its options which could include taking the matter to court or the Colorado Community Utilities Commission We have collaborated with the Elbert County district for four years addressing questions concerns and acquiring land rights voluntarily the company revealed in a comment Projects like the Colorado Pathway are vital to maintain the reliability Coloradans expect from their electrical system The transmission lines power substations and other equipment will stretch over counties mostly in eastern Colorado home to several solar and wind farms and include miles of lines The project will carry about megawatts of new wind solar and other vigor sources One megawatt of solar or wind potential can supply electricity to several hundred homes Construction has been completed in two of the Power Pathway s five segments Xcel reported nine counties have approved permits for the project Along with Elbert the company is also seeking approval in Arapahoe and El Paso counties The Colorado Populace Utilities Commission gave the project the green light in However residents and administrators have strongly objected to the proposed location of the transmission lines through Elbert County They have urged Xcel Potency to trail the miles of double-circuit lines about miles farther east where it is more sparsely populated There are routes that truly have utility easements and transmission corridors where they could use rights of way so they wouldn t have to use eminent domain to get rights of way disclosed county resident Kerry Jiblits They re choosing not to do it Xcel s preferred course could have impacts on wildlife forested areas property values and people s views declared Jiblits a member of the Elbert County Environmental Alliance It s going down Highway the main highway in the county Rendering provided by Xcel Energy-Colorado The Elbert County commissioners have denied a permit that Xcel Potency requirements to build the portion of a billion transmission project that would run through the county southeast of Denver The commissioners say Xcel's application was incomplete The utility says it might turn to the courts or the Colorado Constituents Utilities Commission for relief Before voting on the permits the Elbert County commissioners requested Xcel Strength representatives why it chose the direction it did and why people who don t want to sell land for the project have received letters about the company s plan to acquire the land through condemnation even though the permits haven t been approved Personally I just feel like people are being bullied Commissioner Byron McDaniel announced During a up-to-date county planning commission hearing Xcel revealed properties have been acquired while condemnation proceedings on properties have started Negotiations are being held on additional nine properties It is our goal to acquire land rights voluntarily and we remain hopeful that this will be the occurrence for this project Xcel spokesman Tyler Bryant declared in an email However when negotiations are unsuccessful we have to exercise our eminent domain authority Related Articles Millions of tons of coal ash are buried underground in Colorado seeping toxic chemicals into groundwater Could input center boom threaten Colorado s water supply and circumstances goals Republican budget bill would strike blow to clean capacity efforts in Colorado Time of reckoning has arrived for Denver s troubled office towers Average Xcel Resource customer lost power doubled in overview says McDaniel reported running the transmission lines near people s homes and businesses will drive down property values affecting the county s tax revenue and ability to pay for services Xcel evaluated miles of routes in Elbert County alone and hundreds more miles of routes across the length of that segment of the Power Pathway Bryant commented This course best balances the factors we must consider in siting new infrastructure including cultural and historic support technical and engineering requirements environmental constraints existing and planned land use and other factors requested by the society landowners and other stakeholders Bryant noted This journey is also near existing roads and other transmission lines which provides access for construction and maintenance keeps costs low for customers and minimizes impacts he added The planning commission and the county staff recommended denying the permits One of the issues they cited was the failure of Xcel to adequately address the wildfire risks associated with more transmission lines running through the county and whether those risks will unfairly burden local fire agencies Xcel representatives notified the commissioners that they continue to talk to and coordinate with the fire departments However a county document declared the company had not submitted prevention and safety agreements with two of the departments The utility didn t respond to all the comments from other agencies either county officers declared