Jul 15 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - John Norton The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Left off.

Why was one of the state's prime sites for solar energy development not mentioned on a Western Governor's Association list of Western Renewable Energy Zones?

Pueblo County's public works director wants to find out.

Greg Severance, who has been working with solar energy developers eyeing the vast, empty acreage of the Pueblo Chemical Depot, said he has asked officials in Gov. Bill Ritter's Energy Office why a recent study didn't include Pueblo.

The Western Renewable Energy Zones -- Phase 1 Report lists 54 locations that states say are best suited for solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and biomass projects. "We should be site 55. We think they missed one," said Severance. Pueblo meets or exceeds the criteria cited in the report, he said, as well as having access to transmission lines that other areas don't have.

Pueblo County has been in talks with developers of solar power, including Helios Energy Partners. Another provider wanting to meet renewable energy requirements for Colorado military bases, also is looking at the depot as is a third solar firm that has approached the base's reuse authority.

Severance said he first heard about the energy zone report after a governors' conference meeting in Park City, Utah. He said he contacted the governor's energy office and was told that the Colorado study had been done by a contractor. "They claimed to have had some public process but I'm not aware of it," Severance said. "The first I heard about it was the Park City conference."

Todd Hartman, spokesman for the governor's energy office, explained that the study left out much of Colorado and the state did not have strong representation.

"The WREZ report covered much of the Western United States and Canada, and found many of the best solar resources to be outside of Colorado entirely," he said. "(They are found) in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.

"For its part, (the Governor's Energy Office), which had one member on the large steering committee of 28 members, believes Pueblo and other areas of Southern Colorado have important solar energy resources for the state and region. But the office also supports the data- and science-driven effort of the (Western Governors Association and Department of Energy) in assembling the WREZ report and believes it's an important tool as we work to determine how best to plan renewable energy and transmission projects that can bring clean energy to market."

Meanwhile, Severance said that county officials are working with Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., to get legislation that would transfer surplus depot land to the reuse authority that currently sub-leases igloos, warehouses and other property to private tenants.

Typically, the Pueblo Depot Reuse Authority goes through Defense Department agencies to add depot facilities to its master lease but that can take a long time. For example, the authority spent seven years trying to get the vacant rail spurs included in the master lease before it finally was allowed to start sub-leasing track in 2006 to a Texas firm that stores unused railcars.

Originally, Helios had wanted to buy land at the depot, which would have been a complicated procedure, especially since the facility will be in limbo regarding its status until its stockpile of mustard agent weapons is destroyed, no earlier than 2017. Severance said that the firm would be willing to lease it from the reuse authority. The only problem is that the company wants to use it for at least 25 years if it becomes a supplier to Xcel Energy and the reuse authority might not be around that long once the mustard agent is gone and the Army can release the property.

"Once there's a $1 billion investment out there, I'm sure we're going to figure out a way to keep it," Severance said, adding, "It's 80 primary jobs, it's 300 construction jobs."

In his letter to the governor's office, Severance pointed out that the Army has already said that there are 21,693 excess acres, plenty for solar or even wind development and the Environmental Protection Agency has listed the area as excellent for solar generation.

norton@chieftain.com

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