ELBERT COUNTY, Colo. — Residents of Elbert County love the area's rolling hills, trees, and wildlife. However, some residents worry that a proposed Xcel Energy project could ruin their beloved scenery.
“They say they’re listening to the public, but they aren’t taking into account all the different costs that Elbert County will incur,” said resident Molly Stuchlik.
As a part of the Colorado's Power Pathway project, Xcel plans to install 48 miles of 275 new steel poles in Elbert County to improve the state’s electric grid. The project is set to cost $1.7 billion.
Residents voiced their concerns about the project during an Elbert County Planning Commission public hearing Tuesday night inside the county's fairgrounds. Two of the repeated fears were increased wildfire risk and decreased property values.
“This is a rural community. We have a lot of elderly people who can’t evacuate quickly," said Stuchlik. "It’s also hard to evacuate livestock and animals."
“Elbert County gets no benefit. Our way of life will be ruined for their benefit,” said fellow resident Kerry Jiblits.
According to Xcel, this transmission infrastructure will carry electricity from generation resources along Colorado's Eastern Plains to Front Range cities through a 550-mile, 345-kilovolt double-circuit transmission line. That line encircles Eastern Colorado, one of the nation's best areas for wind and solar energy.
The push back against the power poles has led to the formation of the Elbert County Environmental Alliance, a group advocating against Colorado’s Power Pathway project on the Eastern Plains. They prepared signs for Tuesday's planning commission hearing.
During Tuesday's meeting, county staff revealed that Xcel's application failed to meet several criteria, including a lack of a fire risk assessment and proof of fire protection.
An Xcel Energy spokesperson issued a statement to Denver7, saying in part, "Projects like the Colorado Pathway are vital to maintain the reliability Coloradans expect from their electrical system."
"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. 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. 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."
Public comment from the community ended around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. The project application is set to go before the Board of County Commissioners on June 24.
Meanwhile, residents told Denver7 they just want their voices to be heard.
“I understand we need power. I understand Xcel needs to do their things, but there are alternate routes that will not impact or cost Elbert County,” said Stuchlik.
