Category: News

Colorado Coalition to Advocate for Building Transmission Along Highways

Group seeks to remove barriers to accelerating critical energy infrastructure development

Media Contact 

Drew Henry 

dhenry@gpisd.net 

651-210-0788 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

September 3, 2024 

DENVER – September 3, 2024 – NextGen Highways announced today the launch of a new coalition in Colorado to promote the co-location of utility and telecommunication infrastructure in existing corridors, like highways and interstates, to speed development critical for the clean energy transition. The coalition is being co-convened with the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority (CETA).

“States govern millions of miles of valuable public right-of-way (ROW), and these roads and highways present an immense opportunity to accelerate the infrastructure development necessary for a carbon-free and electrified energy economy,” said Randy Satterfield, Executive Director of NextGen Highways. “Taking action at the state level to remove policy barriers to co-locating electric and telecommunications infrastructure with these ROWs is a key objective for the Colorado NextGen Highways Coalition.”

NextGen Highways has developed a diverse national coalition advancing the concept with policy makers and others and is now building state-level coalitions. The coalitions will advocate for existing public ROWs to be considered for new electric transmission infrastructure to meet the growing demand from decarbonization policies, electric vehicles and building electrification. Part of that effort includes identifying barriers to co-location and strategies to overcome those barriers.

In Colorado, a state Department of Transportation policy prohibits the co-location of overhead transmission lines along interstate highways. This spring, Minnesota passed legislation eliminating a similar barrier in that state due to a broad NextGen Highways coalition working with key utilities, state officials and legislators on a practical compromise.

“Colorado has approximately $4 billion of transmission development required to meet the state’s robust clean energy goals, ensure grid reliability and unlock billions of dollars of investment in local communities for renewable energy development,” said Maury Galbraith, Executive Director for CETA. “Co-location of transmission lines in all transportation ROWs is an important option for the state’s energy stakeholders who have a strong interest in accelerating transmission development and minimizing private landowner impacts. 

The NextGen Highways Colorado Coalition’s policy goals include modernizing Colorado Department of Transportation (CODOT) policy to allow transmission infrastructure to run parallel with interstate highways. Coalition members view these changes as essential to achieving the state’s current and future energy needs.

“Transmission congestion and the long lag time it takes to permit and site new transmission infrastructure is one of the barriers to Colorado achieving its energy goals,” said Satterfield. “The NextGen Highways Coalition is committed to advancing clean energy and streamlining the complex siting and permitting process for transmission by utilizing existing public ROWs. This simple fix has been in place in other states for years without incident, is popular with utilities and private landowners, and utilizes already disturbed land and vistas.”

The coalition launches with five additional members in addition to NextGen Highways and CETA, representing clean energy advocates, trade groups, and environmental advocates. A kickoff meeting will be held on Sept. 4 in Denver and will also include other stakeholders representing state and local governments, organized labor, renewable energy developers, environmental NGOs and utilities. Organizations seeking to join this important coalition can visit https://nextgenhighways.org/ to learn more and inquire.

NextGen Highways Colorado Coalition members:

  • Colorado Solar and Storage Association
  • Conservation Colorado
  • Drive Clean Colorado
  • Interwest Energy Alliance
  • The Nature Conservancy

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. NextGen Highways is convened by the Great Plains Institute. Learn more at NextGenHighways.org.

Quotes from Coalition members:

“Interwest is excited to support NextGen’s efforts to increase opportunities for transmission development. Transmission expansion is vital to support Colorado’s clean and reliable energy future, and increasing development in existing corridors is a welcomed strategy to boost transmission access for renewable generation around the state.”

Anna Evans, Policy Manager, Interwest Energy Alliance