Date: 09/24/2015

Final
Briefing from Montezuma County

TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
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06:05 PM -- Briefing from Montezuma County

James Dietrich, Natural Resources Planning and Public Lands Coordinator, Montezuma County, presented to the committee. He provided an overview of Montezuma County roads to the committee (Attachment A). Mr. Dietrich discussed the transportation challenges of Montezuma County, which is four hours from an interstate road, and spoke to how critical county roads are for county residents. He discussed the geographic features of the county, the importance of energy production to the region, and how the energy industry impacts local roads. He told the committee that the maintenance of these roads is critical, and said that the county had only been able to afford to perform maintenance on 5 miles of road in 2015, at a cost of $423,000, with contributions from the Department of Local Affairs and Montezuma County. Mr. Dietrich told the committee that Montezuma County is interested in developing multi-modal transportation options, such as non-motorized trails that would stretch to Durango and beyond.

15TLRC0924AttachA.pdf15TLRC0924AttachA.pdf

Larry Don Suckla, Montezuma County Commissioner, addressed the committee, and requested for the General Assembly to implement some kind of leniency for energy costs in Montezuma County due to Tri-State Energy’s monopoly over energy provision in the region. Commissioner Suckla responded to questions from the committee on the increasing costs of energy in Montezuma County, and whether the county had considered various forms of renewable energy. Committee discussion ensued.