ALAMOSA — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet met with over 25 San Luis Valley leaders on September 3 to discuss electric transmission lines in and out of the Valley.
Alamosa County Commissioner Lori Laske has spearheaded the transmission line issue for several years. Bennet thanked her for her "extraordinary leadership," on the issue. In a comment to Laske, Bennet said, "Whatever support you need from us in terms of help, badgering the agencies, and helping your efforts, we will provide it."
State Senator Cleave Simpson told the Valley Courier, "I've been extremely interested in the potential for further commercial solar development in the Valley, but it is bottlenecked with transmission capacity. I'm glad to see Senator Bennet is actively involved in the issue and thank Commissioner Laske for her work." Simpson added the transmission lines have been discussed for many years and said, "Either come to a conclusion on the viability, or find a path forward, and I continue to be hopeful there is a path forward."
Central to the issue is studying the possibilities of where proposed transmission lines traverse. As the Valley Courier reported in July, the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) has granted Alamosa County $1,699,965 to study transmission lines in the Valley.
With the funding, Alamosa County will conduct an analysis and extensive community engagement around three potential transmission corridors to identify the optimal route to increase electric transmission capacity to the Upper Rio Grande Valley in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
According to the DOE, "In a continued effort to expedite the build-out of a resilient and reliable electric grid, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced 20 projects across 16 states selected to receive up to $371 million to accelerate the permitting of high-voltage, interstate transmission projects.
"These projects will also support community infrastructure projects along major new and upgraded transmission lines, including upgrading public school buildings and emergency response facilities. Administered by DOE's Grid Deployment Office, today's Transmission Siting and Economic Development (TSED) grants will help advance at least 16 high-impact transmission lines across the country, supporting the deployment of reliable and affordable energy for consumers and creating good-paying jobs."
"Every pocket of the country is experiencing the grueling impact of extreme weather, and there's no doubt that we must expand our transmission grid to get more clean, resilient power to more people, in more places," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
Under the study, Alamosa County will conduct an analysis and extensive community engagement around three potential transmission corridors to identify the optimal route to increase electric transmission capacity to the Upper Rio Grande Valley in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
According to the DOE, "In a continued effort to expedite the build out of a resilient and reliable electric grid, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced 20 projects across 16 states selected to receive up to $371 million to accelerate the permitting of high-voltage, interstate transmission projects.
"These projects will also support community infrastructure projects along major new and upgraded transmission lines, including upgrading public school buildings and emergency response facilities. Administered by DOE's Grid Deployment Office, today's Transmission Siting and Economic Development (TSED) grants will help advance at least 16 high-impact transmission lines across the country, supporting the deployment of reliable and affordable energy for consumers and creating good-paying jobs."
"Today, every pocket of the country is experiencing the grueling impact of extreme weather and there's no doubt that we must expand our transmission grid to get more clean, resilient power to more people, in more places," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
