The Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday approved a 1041 permit for Summit Utilities to construct about 11 miles of 8‑inch steel pipeline to deliver natural gas to the GCC cement facility, a project the applicant said will enable GCC to switch from coal‑fired operations to natural gas.

The permit was approved after a public hearing in which county staff said the application complied with the Unified Development Code and staff recommended approval with conditions. Ben Watkin, Manager of Engineering at Colorado Natural Gas (an operating company of Summit Utilities), told commissioners the pipeline will tie into a Kinder Morgan transmission line east of Fortieth and Harbor, run along Fortieth Lane and Harbor Road, cross private property and Colorado DNR land, and enter the GCC delivery point.

County planners said the project aligns with regional clean‑energy goals by reducing emissions at a major industrial facility. "This conversion aligns with the regional clean energy goals and reduces emissions from 1 of the area's largest industrial users," county staff said during the hearing. Watkin described the line as a distribution‑rated pipeline designed to avoid transmission‑level pressures in county roadways and neighborhoods.

During discussion commissioners and staff focused on environmental controls, staging and haul routes, and required permits ahead of construction. Watkin said survey staking would begin as early as mid‑May if the permit were approved and that erosion‑control and restoration work would be handled by the environmental contractor. He outlined a construction window of June to October and said Summit Utilities expected to have gas flowing to GCC by mid‑October to meet the plant’s timeline. "June to October will be the pipeline construction, and we will get gas flowing to GCC by mid October to hit their timeline," Watkin said.

County staff noted subsequent approvals will be required before work in the public right of way begins, including a Pueblo County stormwater discharge permit and road‑use agreements. Watkin told commissioners the applicant has coordinated with county staff and with a nearby solar project to share hauling routes and costs for road repairs where appropriate.

A member of the public raised questions about the pipeline alignment and whether multiple gas projects were planned in the same area. Watkin clarified the route and said the applicant was not aware of other gas‑line projects in the neighborhood; county staff likewise said this was the only project they were tracking.

After public comment and a brief rebuttal from the applicant, the board closed the hearing and voted to approve the 1041 permit. The county record shows the board authorized staff to forward the case to the county attorney as needed for standard conditions and compliance enforcement.

Next steps include the applicant obtaining a county stormwater discharge permit, executing road‑use agreements and satisfying the other conditions listed in the staff report before construction mobilization.