New study identifies key issues for siting and permitting low-cost, reliable clean energy and transmission

Legislatively directed report provides a foundation for action to improve energy infrastructure permitting to meet growing electricity needs

Statewide - Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 - The Colorado Energy Office (CEO), in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), released a new report Tuesday that identifies key challenges and best practices in siting and permitting new clean energy infrastructure. By identifying barriers as directed by SB24-212, the report paves the way for further action to improve siting and permitting of clean energy projects to deliver affordable energy resources and meet increasing electricity demand. The Evaluation and Assessment of Local Government Processes for the Siting of Commercial Clean Energy and Energy Transmission Projects was required by Senate Bill 24-212, sponsored by former Senate President Steve Fenberg, former Senator Chris Hansen, Representative Kyle Brown and Representative Karen McCormick.

"This study is a vital step on the road to creating policies that secure Colorado's ability to build more energy infrastructure that meets our growing electricity needs - and does so while providing the lowest-cost clean energy possible," said CEO Executive Director Will Toor. "We know we must work quickly as we have a limited window to build wind, solar, energy storage, and transmission before federal tax credits disappear. Informed by this report, we can now begin the hard work of creating the right plan to support local governments to site projects that increase local employment and tax base and ensure a resilient grid that can reliably and cleanly power Colorado for decades to come."

The study highlighted a number of issues the state is currently facing in developing further commercial clean energy siting and permitting opportunities. These include:

• An acknowledgment that some local jurisdictions struggle with limited capacity, resources, and expertise to develop effective codes and efficiently review project applications.
• A lack of consistency in terms of fees and timelines for review that conflict with existing law requiring local reviews within specific time frames.
• Misunderstandings and misinformation about the impacts of clean energy.
• The impact of local permitting moratoria in some areas which lead to favoring certain technologies over others, rather than allowing utilities the ability to choose projects that best maintain grid reliability and affordability and landowners the ability to earn revenue.
• Misunderstandings about the number or scale of renewable energy projects currently being developed or approved.

This study's development included extensive stakeholder involvement.

Organizations involved in the process included municipal and county governments, clean energy project developers, conservation organizations, local stakeholders, tribal governments, electric utilities, and labor organizations. Along with the state, these participants offered their perspectives regarding local government processes for siting commercially viable clean energy projects and commercial electricity transmission. The work included evaluating the impact of clean energy projects and transmission facilities on wildlife resources, as well as considering the use of wildlife mitigation, issues related to project decommissioning, and community benefits agreements. The participants also provided feedback in determining the range of fees imposed by municipal and county governments on local projects and reviewed and analyzed numerous renewable energy permitting and siting policies and practices adopted by other states.

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