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El Paso County commissioners say wildfire, emergency‑service and land‑use concerns justified denial of Pathway Project segment
Summary
El Paso County officials defended their July 24 denial of Public Service Company of Colorado's 10‑41 permit for Segment 5 of the Pathway Project, citing inadequate site‑specific wildfire mitigation, risks to volunteer emergency responders, potential leapfrog development and visual impacts; the company offered written commitments and follow‑up coordination.
El Paso County commissioners told the Public Utilities Commission during a July 24 hearing that they denied a 10‑41 permit for Segment 5 of the Pathway Project because the company’s filings did not satisfy multiple local criteria, most notably wildfire mitigation and the capacity of volunteer emergency services.
Chair Carri Geithner, an El Paso County commissioner, testified that the board’s vote to deny was “a cumulative thing” grounded in several factors listed in the county’s denial resolution: a failure to evaluate underground alternatives, an inadequate site‑specific wildfire response plan, inconsistency with the county master plan (risk of leapfrog development), adverse impacts on local emergency services, and harms to visual quality and viewsheds.
Geithner said county staff had reviewed the company’s materials but that the documents…
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