Latest news with #PowerPathway
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Elbert County votes to deny Xcel Energy's transmission line application in eastern Colorado
After years of uncertainty, Colorado's Elbert County Board of Commissioners denied Xcel Energy's request to complete Segment 5 of their Power Pathway through the county on June 25. Xcel representatives listened to nearly 100 residents disgracing the project over the course of two days. Xcel's 1041 permit application needed approval for 48 miles of new electric transmission line near much of Colorado Highway 86. That electric service would supply the Denver metro area, but would not benefit Elbert County residents. Xcel Energy's proposed line, Segment 5. CBS Colorado Elbert County District 3 Commissioner Byron McDaniel told the crowd on June 25, "This line serves no purpose here in Elbert County, and frankly, I don't care about Denver and Aurora. I'm looking out for the people in Elbert County." Xcel told CBS Colorado that the project would help through the means of tax revenue, benefiting things like schools and fire districts. Cited reasons for denial Xcel's application was deemed incomplete because of a lack of fire mitigation proposals and considerations to the health of humans and animals, as McDaniel, a cancer survivor, pointed out. Specifically, electric and magnetic fields, or EMFs. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says EMFs are invisible areas of energy, which are essentially radiation near electrical power. As families would be obligated to give up some property for the project, Xcel said landowners would receive 95% to 100% of fair market value. While Elbert County District 1 Commissioner Mike Buck, who claims he is familiar with real estate, poked holes in the idea that a stretch transmission line wouldn't devalue the area. "The land value in general along the corridor of an economic development zone is not $100,000. It's not $500,000. It's millions and millions of dollars in lost revenue for the county and a development opportunity," said Buck. Moving Forward The Elbert County Environmental Alliance, made up of residents against the plans, gave this statement to CBS Colorado, "Xcel presented the county with an incomplete application -- one that did not meet our county's guidelines and regulations. The Board of County Commissioners had no choice but to deny the requested permits. We are pleased and grateful that our commissioners heard us and stood up to Xcel's bullying tactics, which included using eminent domain to forcibly take our land before the application was even heard by the county." BRUSH, CO - JANUARY 8: Working from the bucket of a boom truck, apprentice lineman Travis Longfellow, left, and lineman Jadon Elliott work on large transmission structures that are part of Xcel Energy's Power Pathway project just south of Brush, Colorado, on Jan. 8, 2024. Workers with GRD Construction are putting in the structures, cables, and lines that are part of the $1.7 billion electric transmission project, which is slated to take three years to complete. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images The board will formally reconvene on July 2 to approve the resolution to deny the application. Xcel gave CBS Colorado the following statement: The board voted to deny the application and will formally reconvene on July 2nd to approve the resolution to deny the application. We will review the resolution once final and evaluate our options, which may include seeking relief from the District Court or the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Colorado's Power Pathway is a $1.7 billion investment in 550 miles of new transmission lines across twelve counties to enhance the state's electric grid. The project unlocks wind and solar energy development in the Eastern Plains, creating jobs and generating lease and tax revenue for rural communities. Colorado homes and businesses require more power, and the state's current infrastructure is not sufficient to support long-term needs and growth. Projects like the Colorado Pathway are vital to maintain the reliability Coloradans expect from their electrical system. We have secured permit approvals in nine counties and are working on approvals in Arapahoe, El Paso and Elbert counties. We have collaborated with the Elbert County community for four years, addressing questions, concerns and acquiring land rights voluntarily. We adjusted the project's location by 50 miles to accommodate community wishes while keeping project costs low for our customers. While we do not provide electric service to Elbert County residents, the Pathway project will provide important tax revenue benefiting the county, cities, fire and school districts. Our community outreach efforts are documented on our website at Community Engagement - Xcel Energy Colorado Power Pathway, and includes website information, fact sheets, public meetings, newsletters, mailers and advertisements.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Residents in Colorado's Elbert County fight Xcel Energy over transmission line running through their properties
As Colorado's energy infrastructure ages, Xcel Energy is aiming to build 550 miles of new transmission lines to accommodate the grid and Colorado's continuous growth. However, residents in Elbert County are resisting efforts from Xcel's proposition, as a portion of the project is intended to travel through the county, which they say will disrupt their way of life. Wednesday night, the Planning Commission voted to recommend denying Xcel's application to the Board of County Commissioners at the end of the month. Until then, Xcel has begun eminent domain initiatives as well as having already acquired nearly 50% of the land needed for the project voluntarily. Tuesday night at the county fairgrounds in Kiowa, Xcel presented their application to the Planning Commission. It went so long, it spilled over to Wednesday night. The Elbert County Staff of Community Development and Services deemed the application incomplete for not submitting more detail about wildfire protection, and recommended to the Planning Commission to deny the application, which they did. Route of Segment 5 The entire Power Pathway project consists of five segments, with Segments 2 and 3 completed and Segment 1 under construction. Xcel's $1.7 billion double-circuit 345-kilovolt electric transmission line will be used to increase reliability across Colorado. "If we lose one of our transmission segments, we have the ability to route electricity around the state," Andrew Holder, the Xcel Community Relations Director, told the commission during Tuesday's meeting. Xcel Energy's proposed line, Segment 5. CBS Colorado But for years, Xcel and those directly impacted or simply living in Elbert County have been at odds over the avenue of Segment 5. "The proposed route selected in Elbert County... is the least impactful compared to other route alternatives evaluated," said the Siting and Land Rights Manager, Jennifer Chester, in her presentation for Xcel to the Planning Commission. "A lot of folks are ranchers. It's our charge to take care of this land where we live," says Kerry Jiblits, who lives in Elbert County. Jiblits is a board member for the Elbert County Environmental Alliance (ECEA) with more than 400 people on its mailing list. While the transmission line isn't going through her property, Elbert County is her home. She "moved here for a reason," she says. The group formed to resist projects that harm the environment and wildlife in the area, Jiblits tells CBS Colorado. They are environmentalists who are all in for renewables. "We're not against the project, we're against this route." Xcel on the other hand, is looking to unlock solar and wind power potential with all that open space on the Eastern Plains. The utility company told CBS Colorado in a statement in part, "We have collaborated with the Elbert County community for four years, addressing questions, concerns and acquiring land rights voluntarily. We adjusted the project's location by 50 miles to accommodate community wishes while keeping project costs low for our customers." Those who participated in Tuesday's public comment say otherwise. "There was not one single person who spoke in favor of Xcel other than the Xcel representatives," Jiblits tells CBS Colorado. She and others in ECEA have met with Xcel many times and even with the president of Xcel Energy-Colorado, Robert Kenney. "Their idea of collaboration is to tell you that this is what [they're] going to do. They have not worked with us in the least." Risk of wildfire But the risk of wildfire is why the Community Development and Services staff in its presentation Tuesday recommended that denial. "The applicant has not submitted the request level of detail of information for proof of fire protection or risk associated with fire behavior." "Wildfire is a huge concern out here," says Jiblits. The Magic Dog fire last October near CO-86 used aerial firefighters, Jiblits tells CBS Colorado. The water came from a body that is adjacent to the proposed Segment 5 route. "They scooped water out of a pond nearby. The transmission lines will be going right next to that pond now. How are they going to be able to access that water?" CBS Colorado reached out to Elizabeth Fire Rescue about how they plan to work around the line in the future, but have not heard back. Elbert County fire districts cover at least 700 square miles and firefighters in the area are mostly volunteer. There's a way to avoid the risk. According to a 2021 study by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the utility company is taking on the ambitious goal of burying 10,000 miles of above-ground electric distribution power lines in high-risk wildfire areas, which is called undergrounding. Even though PG&E has logistical and technical challenges awaiting it, as well as a near $20 billion price tag, it's possible and currently happening. The first speaker at Tuesday's meeting, Mike Walker of Elizabeth, said, "Xcel says it costs too much to bury the lines." What's in it for Elbert County? "There's no benefit. The power is for the Denver metro area," says Jiblits. Xcel told CBS Colorado, "While we do not provide electric service to Elbert County residents, the Pathway project will provide important tax revenue benefiting the county, cities, fire and school districts." Although Jiblits, and many in the county, aren't buying it. "The taxes that we will get from this project, will be offset by the money we lose in decreased property values and property valuations," says Jiblits. On its website, Xcel says they've used a third-party real estate appraiser analysis, and the transmission line will not impact property vales. Additionally, Holder said on Tuesday that Xcel will pay a 1.26% tax on its new facilities, on top of a $2.5 million project impact fee. "Their attitude is, 'We're going to do what we want. What you say doesn't matter.' They're just going through and checking boxes," Jiblits says. Eminent domain "There were several people who wanted to speak," Jiblits says about Tuesday night's meeting, "but who were unable to speak because of the ongoing litigation." That is eminent domain proceedings. Xcel told CBS Colorado partly, "We remain committed to making every effort to reach a fair and reasonable settlement, but when negotiations are unsuccessful, we have to exercise our eminent domain authority." Although alternate lines have been offered, Segment 5 is moving ahead as proposed. Jiblits says, with larger acreage farther east, families won't be as impacted from the project. "There are already rights of way out there that they could follow and use. They don't need to take our land for their project." Xcel and Elbert County residents will have to wait more than two weeks for a vote from the Board of Commissioners on June 24.
