DENVER—A power line proposed in south-central Colorado and opposed by a billionaire ranch owner has cleared a major milestone after an administrative law judge recommended it.
The decision issued Friday said Xcel Energy and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association have proved there’s a need for the 140-mile line in the San Luis Valley. The utilities have said it will provide more reliable electricity for the area and a way to transmit renewable energy from the valley, which has a high potential for solar power.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has final say on whether the line is needed.
Xcel Energy spokesman Tom Henley said the company is pleased with the judge’s recommendation and was still reviewing the 300-page document.
Opponents noted the decision says the power doesn’t have to come from renewable resources. Hedge-fund manager Louis Bacon, who owns the 171,000-acre Trinchera ranch in the valley, will continue to oppose the project, spokesman Cody Wertz said.
“Fortunately, there are many more steps in the approval process and thousands of Coloradans are rallying around better and cheaper alternatives,” Wertz said in a prepared statement.
People have 20 days to file objections, which the utilities commission will consider.
Bacon, who objects to the line crossing his ranch, has offered alternative routes his representatives say would cost less, create fewer impacts and deliver more power.
Christine Canaly of the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council said her group believes smaller projects could provide the reliable service area residents need while transmitting renewable energy produced in the valley.
However, Xcel Energy and Tri-State have dismissed Trinchera Ranch’s alternatives as more expensive and unworkable. Administrative Law Judge Mana Jennings-Fader said in her recommendation that the utilities raised serious issues with the proposed alternatives. She questioned Trinchera’s cost estimates and said other utilities haven’t had the chance to consider the potential impacts of the proposals on their systems.
