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Kara Thate
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2025
Bill allowing co-location is a win for Colorado’s ambitious energy transition plans
Building on success achieved last year in Minnesota, NextGen Highways counts another win today with the signing into law of a Colorado bill allowing the co-location of high-voltage transmission in state highway rights of way.
Governor Jared Polis signed HB25-1292, which lays the groundwork for new Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) rules covering the process by which transmission developers can consider state highway corridors for siting. Opening up this option has the potential to be a powerful tool for Colorado as it pursues ambitious electrification and clean energy goals.
“By building in existing rights of way, transmission developers in Colorado can avoid the kind of political and legal pushback that slows projects down,” said Randy Satterfield, executive director of NextGen Highways. “And this legislation also ensures that the Colorado DOT can be part of the solution.”
HB25-1292 will require CDOT, in response to a request from a transmission developer, to provide the best available information on highway corridors that may be considered for transmission line co-location. The goal is to open channels of communication that will allow for more coordinated and efficient planning between transportation officials and utilities.
The final language of the bill benefitted from input from members of the NextGen Highways Colorado coalition, a diverse group representing energy, transportation electrification, business, environmental, and wildlife interests. NextGen Highways Colorado was launched last fall, co-convened by NextGen Highways and the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority (CETA). CETA has identified the need for up to $4 billion in additional investment in transmission to ensure that Colorado’s power grid can keep pace with demand.
“Co-location of transmission in existing rights of way is an important tool that will assist the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority with avoiding property rights conflicts and building needed infrastructure,” said Maury Galbraith, executive director of CETA.
Importantly, the new law clarifies that rights of way will be prioritized for transmission development, considered after existing utility corridors but before new corridors. This will ensure that opportunities to co-locate infrastructure along highway rights of way are not passed over in favor of greenfield development that can have unnecessary, negative environmental and land-use impacts. Under requirements going into effect in 2027, developers seeking permits for transmission projects will need to issue a publicly available report detailing how they analyze and select potential routes; the economic, engineering, and grid reliability impacts of those routes; and information demonstrating that priority order was considered.
The new law directs CETA, through a public-private partnership and in collaboration with CDOT and other state agencies — including the Colorado Energy Office, Public Utilities Commission, and the Division of Parks and Wildlife — to study state highway corridors to identify potential options for high-voltage transmission line development.
The next step for NextGen Highways Colorado will be to begin conversations with transmission developers, state agencies, and other stakeholders to facilitate consideration of highway rights of way as options to speed up Colorado’s transmission buildout.
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About NextGen Highways
NextGen Highways is a collaborative initiative promoting the use of highways and other existing rights-of-way as infrastructure corridors where electric and communications infrastructure are strategically and safely co-located in existing highway rights-of-way. Learn more at NextGenHighways.org.