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Fremont County planning commission approves modification to concentrate ammonium nitrate storage at Penrose site
Summary
The Fremont County Planning Commission on Dec. 3 approved SRU24-002, a modification allowing Southwest Energy to replace two 50-ton ground silos with one 100-ton overhead silo at 6101 U.S. Highway 50 in Penrose, Colo., with a landscaping waiver and site-plan corrections required.
Fremont County Planning Commission members on Dec. 3 approved SRU24-002, a permit modification allowing Southwest Energy to replace two 50-ton ground-mounted ammonium‑nitrate silos with a single 100‑ton overhead silo at 6101 U.S. Highway 50 in Penrose, Colorado, while granting a waiver for the landscaping plan and requiring corrections to redlined site‑plan items.
Staff told commissioners the change does not increase the total amount of product stored and recommended approval after consultations with county and outside agencies. "We have found that the application is in compliance with the requirements of the Fremont County zoning resolution," a planning staff member said, noting the Florence Fire Protection District approved the fire‑protection plan and Colorado Department of Transportation had no concerns.
Why it matters: The modification centralizes the current storage capacity—two 50‑ton silos into one 100‑ton silo—while county staff said operational practices, emergency access and regulatory reviews remain unchanged. Commissioners pressed the applicant on safety and operational details before voting to approve the request with the staff‑listed contingencies.
Applicant representatives described the operational change and affirmed no change to total stored product. "There there will be no change in the amount of ingredients, products that we're storing," said Tony Sendak, engineering manager for Southwest Energy. He said the company plans to remove two 50‑ton ground‑mount silos and install one 100‑ton overhead silo "so the trucks will drive underneath it, and then the product will just grama flow into the trucks." Jason Pruitt, area superintendent for Southwest Energy, participated in answers to commissioners' questions about customers and distribution.
Commissioners asked about hazard concentration from moving the total capacity into one silo. "Any greater danger having a hundred tons in one?" a commissioner asked. Sendak replied, "No. No. Not really."
Staff provided technical details in the report: the site sits in the Residential 3 zone district on a 640‑acre lot; projected traffic remains unchanged at 34 trips per day; access points and drainage will not change; the operation complies with the building department and the on‑site wastewater system (OWTS). The county report also noted the airport manager raised no objection to the silo height. The application included a request for a waiver of the landscaping plan, which staff supported.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve SRU24-002 with the landscaping waiver and the site‑plan redline corrections identified by staff; a second was recorded, and commissioners voted in favor. The chair announced approval and adjourned the meeting.
Votes at a glance: SRU24-002 (Southwest Energy) — Motion to approve permit modification with landscaping waiver and site‑plan corrections: Approved (vote: unanimous of members voting; one commissioner excused).
