RUSH, Colo. (KOAA) — A Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) ruling clears the way for the next phase of Xcel Energy's Power Pathway project, and construction is already underway along the Lincoln-El Paso County line.
- Watch News5's previous coverage of the project below:
Crossing over the county line, hundreds of spools filled with miles of electrical wire are staged and ready to go into the new transmission lines. Property owner Jeff Styers showed me how Xcel is already getting to work.
"There was nothing out there a few months ago," said Styers.
Standing near the construction site, Styers pointed to where the work is taking shape.
"Now you can see where they're building the bases for the structures," said Styers.
Using a map, he traced the route the lines will follow.
"It follows the county line, then heads east for about a mile along (Highway) 94, then starts heading north again," said Styers.
Recently retired engineer Styers bought 35 acres of land along the county line in August. He purchased the property to own another asset.
"Think of it like a man cave, somewhere else, not on your property," said Styers.
For now, Styers' next-door neighbor appears to be a large construction crew building Xcel's Power Pathway. But he says he is trying not to pay it much mind.
When asked how he feels about the project, Styers said he has mixed feelings about not benefiting financially.
"Well, I wished I had gotten some proceeds out of this, but it was all announced before I bought the property," said Styers.
Styers says he is mostly okay with the power lines running through his property and wants to experiment with solar energy to see if he can add to it.
"I'm hoping I can build some sort of substation and add to the power going down the line," said Styers.
He says he understands some of his neighbors are frustrated by the decision, but says the Front Range continues to grow and needs more electricity as a result.
"You gotta look at it this way, do you want the power, or do you not? There was a way this was able to happen, and I wouldn't want to be the person who got in the way."
Other voices along the county line tell a different story. Some property owners, including those whose families have owned their land for several generations, say they are frustrated by the PUC's decision to overrule El Paso County.
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