The storm clouds above the Elbert County Fairgrounds were dark and foreboding as the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners met there on June 24. In the middle of the meeting, the public hearing for Xcel Energy’s Power Pathway 1041 Application, a tornado warning alarmed through the phones of the crowd in the Agricultural Building.
The weather mirrored the mood in the room, full of people who came to comment on the billion-dollar pathway cutting through Elbert County, which would place 275 poles ranging from 104 to 140 feet tall over a span of 48 miles.
After the meeting stretched into the next day, the three county commissioners unanimously voted to draw up a resolution denying Xcel’s application. Though the utility’s application was considered incomplete by the county, Xcel opted to move forward with the process anyway.
In an update to the Elbert County Environmental Alliance, ECEA board member Kerry Jiblits said the public comment portion of the meeting was outstanding. “So many people showed up to share their stories and concerns,” she said. “Approximately 50 people spoke, and there were many who had signed up to speak but had to leave before their turn. The speakers were articulate and well spoken, and many shared very heartfelt stories, often being moved to tears during their impassioned speeches. State Representative Chris Richardson, Senator Rod Pelton, and Kim Monson, a radio talk show moderator, also spoke. Not one person spoke in favor of the project.”
Anger and discontent
Speaker after speaker stepped up to voice their anger and discontent with the pathway, expressing feelings of frustration, distrust and sometimes helplessness. In general, county residents feel that any benefits to Elbert County don’t outweigh the risks or detriments the Power Pathway would bring. There are still concerns about property values, infringement on property rights and government overreach. People spoke about losing their rural way of life, future development along the route and the negative impact on roads.
Sherri Christensen, who opposes the project, said the pathway does not serve the residents of Elbert County. “We are not against energy development,” she said, “but we quickly realized Xcel had no intention of negotiating with the residents of Elbert County.”
She continued: “We are up against a corporate giant on Wall Street who is trying to bully all of us into accepting the pathway. Make no mistake, this is the first battle we will have with Xcel and their constituents because what comes next is solar and wind farms.”
Beverly Durant, president of the Kiowa School Board, agreed, saying, “Xcel has absolutely no regard for Elbert County or any of its citizens, or any of you, or any of our staff … what it really came down to is money.”
For some, the pathway has become personal. Leah Braton stood up to speak on behalf of her husband, whom she feels died due to stress from the Power Pathway coming to the area. After Braton and her husband met with an Xcel representative who told them they’d “get used” to the high-voltage lines and that the line would be going right through town, her husband Howard suffered a brain aneurysm that would eventually lead to his death.
Brenda Kelly, from Simla, said she and many others took the day off of work to come to the meeting. She believes Xcel will force their way through Elbert County, with or without county approval.
“Why should Elbert County be sacrificed so city people can consume more power?” she asked. “Why should we be sacrificed so Xcel can make even more money? Why should we be threatened with eminent domain by a private company that is providing nothing to the landowners they want to take land from? Why should we endure the risks of wildfires in an area with high winds and lots of dry fodder? Why should we have to pay higher homeowner’s insurance to cover fire risk? Why should we lose the retirement equity we all have in our homes when our values decrease due to this line?”
“I implore you to set aside the carrot of income that Xcel keeps dangling before you,” Kelly went on. “Some things are worth so much more than money. This is one of them. Please protect our county, not only from this transmission line, but the subsequent wind and solar projects that are sure to come with the mandate to slather the eastern plains with them. We need to know that our Board of Commissioners is with us even if our state goes against us.”
Utility responds
Xcel had an opportunity to address many of the concerns raised during public comment and respond to questions from the BOCC. Its representatives tried to alleviate concerns about property values and wildfire risk, explain the benefits to Elbert County, clarify the process of condemnation proceedings and more.
Patrick Kuretich, who supports Xcel’s Transmission Operations Organization in the area of Wildfire, said, “… as a company we do take that [wildfire] extremely seriously, that’s why we filed two wildfire mitigation plans, one back in 2020, we’ve re-upped and filed one for 2025 to 2027. We continue to make investments in Colorado in the area of wildfire.” Kuretich detailed how Xcel monitors weather and transmission lines to minimize risk.
Jennifer Chester, Xcel’s Manager of Siting and Land Rights, said later that, in her understanding, their application was deemed incomplete because of unsigned fire district forms. “We have been working with the fire districts to try and get those forms signed,” she said. “We weren’t able to get those forms signed and that’s why we elected to move forward because we didn’t have them and we weren’t getting indication at the time that they were or weren’t going to be signed. We can’t make anyone sign them and wanted to present the information to the county to have that reviewed and to move the process forward …”
Chester also clarified that the transmission line wouldn’t serve Elbert County customers directly but provides power to the “bulk electric system”; since Colorado has an interconnected grid it’s possible Elbert County could benefit directly in the future.
Xcel needs to negotiate with 48 landowners for access. The utility says it has “acquired 25 of those landowners” and filed condemnation proceedings with 13 others.
In reference to those proceedings, County Commissioners Dallas Schroeder and Byron McDaniel both had questions. Schroeder said it feels like the cart was put before the horse: “… to start these condemnation issues before even coming to this board for an up or down certainly gets the feel of an entitlement and `we’re gonna do what we want to do, it doesn’t matter what happens at this hearing.’”
Schroeder said he’ll be in contact with state Sen. Rod Pelton and state Rep. Chris Richardson to see if there’s something that can be done through legislation. “Because it feels wrong,” he said, “and it puts the landowner at a disadvantage in the negotiations when it hasn’t even been satisfied here.”
Schroeder still has other concerns about the application, specifically the fire prevention and safety forms as well as discussion with the Natural Resources Conservation Service concerning a Wetland Reserve Program along the route.
McDaniel and Commissioner Mike Buck are both certain the pathway will reduce property values, despite information from Xcel claiming there will be no such reduction. “We’re fooling ourselves if we’re gonna say it doesn’t devalue the land,” Buck said.
In McDaniel’s opinion, the pathway will be detrimental to homeowners and the county. “This line serves no purpose here for Elbert County and frankly I don’t care about Denver and Aurora … I’m looking out for the people here in Elbert County,” he said. “I feel like Xcel could have approached this a lot differently. I feel like … it could go out east and follow I-70. There are other routes other than cutting through here.”
McDaniel added, to applause, it was “never the wrong time to do the right thing” and implored Xcel to reconsider the current route.
Xcel can appeal
The BOCC met on July 2 to review, sign and finalize the resolutions denying the application. Going forward, Xcel has the option to appeal the decision with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
Video of the June 24 portion of the meeting is available at tinyurl.com/3bwvc74j and June 25 at tinyurl.com/mrye79py. Recent BOCC agendas and minutes are available at elbertcounty-co.gov/129/Agendas-Minutes.
The county webpage about the pathway, tinyurl.com/24yvtwmc, includes Xcel’s 1041 application and accompanying documents.
For more information about Xcel’s Power Pathway, visit coloradospowerpathway.com.
For more information about the Elbert County Environmental Alliance, visit www.ecealliance.org.