El Paso County commissioners hear plan by Xcel Energy to install overhead power lines on eastern side of county

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- An area covering eastern El Paso County from north to south, and extending into northeastern Pueblo county, is being considered for the installation of electric transmission lines.

The proposal, made by Xcel Energy, was presented to El Paso County commissioners at their meeting Tuesday; it would erect lines from Arapahoe County, east of Denver, south through Elbert, El Paso and Pueblo counties.

Xcel calls the plan Colorado's Power Pathway, an investment of up to $2 billion to upgrade the state’s electric grid and stimulate future renewable energy development -- primarily, from wind and solar -- around the state.

The utility said that the plan will increase power reliability, boost the regional economy and create jobs during construction.

Xcel is currently surveying sites to install up to 650 miles of overhead power lines, build four substations and expand four existing substations.

The proposed schedule calls for Xcel to acquire state permits by the end of next year, start construction after permit approval and bring the first lines in service by 2025.

"I think there's a lot of interest in where those links (to the lines) are proposed and how we arrived at placing them on the maps," Xcel representative Jen Chester told commissioners during the presentation.

Several people who own ranches, farms and other rural land in the proposed locations expressed concern about the pathway plan, asking if the power lines will will be harmful to people and livestock.

In recent years, some property owners have complained that transmissions from wind turbines and other power lines in the same area have made them seriously ill.

"No, there's really not any benefit for us, and yet we take all of the grief and change of lifestyles," Penny Book, who lives in Rush, told commissioners during the public comment period of the meeting.

However, commissioner chairman Stan VanderWerf said that several studies on the issue have produced mixed results.

"I don't think we have a good answer yet about the risks of wind farms or of transmission lines," he said. "Depending on how Xcel proceeds, the proposal would require a 1041 (state permit), which is a fairly complicated land use process. If that permit is required, then our board of commissioners would have to approve it."

Xcel is currently gathering public feedback on the pathway plan. For more information about citizen input and the public meeting schedule, visit: https://www.coloradospowerpathway.com/.

"We strongly urge citizens to participate in the process and share any questions or concerns they have," VanderWerf said.