Elbert County commissioners deny Xcel Energy 1041 permit and special-use application for Power Pathway project

The Elbert County Board of County Commissioners voted July 2, 2025, to adopt resolutions denying two land-use applications from the Public Service Company of Colorado, doing business as Xcel Energy: a major 1041 permit for site selection and construction of a major public utility facility (Project No. 1041-2024-9235) and a special use by review for the Power Pathway project (Project No. SUR-2024-9236).

County Attorney Lance Ingalls told the board that the denials reflect the board’s findings from a June 24 hearing and that he had prepared draft written findings to capture the commissioners’ concerns and questions. Ingalls said the findings, if adopted, are “not the same as what staff had recommended” and read into the record an added paragraph intended to bridge the difference between the staff report and the board’s conclusions.

The board voted to approve the…