County

County commissioners approve solar facility

RBC | At a public hearing July 9, the Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) granted approval to Piceance Creek Solar LLC for utility-scale solar powered generation of electricity. Piceance Creek Solar had applied for permits allowing development of a four megawatt solar electricity generating facility off County Road 83 in the southeast sector of the Piceance Basin on what was previously Shell Oil Company property. Cypress Creek Renewables will be the solar operators, having leased a base of 34 acres there from TC LandCo LLC, expecting to have installations on 28 acres.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the solar project permits. Commissioner Jeff Rector summed up the BOCC’s reaction in saying, “Congratulations. Excellent presentation. We are truly happy to see you here.”

TC LandCo LLC is a subsidiary of TerraCarta, the landowner entity which purchased all of Shell Oil Company’s western Colorado properties. According to TerraCarta President Patrick Conway of Chicago, the LLC is a real estate and energy leasing company focused on developing its assets and infrastructure in an environmentally conscious manner. “Therefore,” Conway said via email, “We are very excited about the current and possibly future projects with Cypress Creek Renewables.” Chuck Whiteman of Meeker, serves as the manager for the TC LandCo properties.

The annual expected power production from the facility, to be operational in early 2019, is 10.08 million kilowatt hours, enough to power 830 single family homes. White River Electric Association (WREA) will be the buyer of the electricity from the project.

California-based Cypress Creek Renewables (CCR) already has 294 utility-scale projects in 13 other states, producing more than 2.2. gigawatts of power in the U.S. This will be their first Colorado facility. Currently, CCR’s greatest production is from North Carolina where more than 1.5 gigawatts/year are being produced.

Michelle Zimmerman of Breckenridge, CCR’s primary Colorado representative, said, “We are thrilled to be working with both the WREA and Rio Blanco County, and look forward to future projects in the region.” Zimmerman was accompanied by CCR engineer Andrey Pihourov of Castle Rock, and project development intern Sarah Eberly.

Zimmerman told the commissioners, “Through helping Colorado meet its clean-energy goals, CCR is committed to creating a healthier environment for everyone.” Furthermore, she said, “CCR wishes to promote U.S. energy independence and energy security through affordable renewables production.”

Local benefits of solar generation are extensive, according to Zimmerman. In general, the facilities contain no fluids, no chemicals, no leaks, no noise, no lights, no traffic increases post construction, and no glare, she said.

The construction of the Piceance Creek solar generation system will include $5 million direct spending in the local economy, including parts, labor, goods, services, fuel, lodging, dining and other consumer activity. The construction phase, lasting three to four months at the front end, is expected to involve about 53 full-time equivalent employees, including three on-site electrical and civil engineers in-house, 15 to 20 construction workers, five fencing employees (the site will need to be surrounded by a seven foot chain-link fence), 10 to 15 general manual laborers, two water supply drivers, and locally rented equipment. All construction will be done during daylight hours.

CCR is committed to helping Coloradans meet the voter-approved clean energy promises established by the Renewable Energy Standard which requires cooperative utilities like WREA to obtain 20 percent of their power from renewables. The Piceance Creek LLC solar effort is projected to produce

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
11 hours ago
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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