Commissioners consider expanding 1041 powers

On Nov. 2, the Larimer County Commissioners will decide whether to expand 1041 powers to include pipeline projects. The hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the first-floor hearing room of the courthouse offices building.

The 1041 permitting process allows local governments to weigh in on projects deemed to be matters of state interest. The county has already approved the process for power plants, transmission lines and natural gas pipelines and storage facilities.

If commissioners do decide to include water and sewer pipelines in the 1041 process, it will not affect projects already approved by the county, such as the Greeley water pipeline project.

Currently, water and sewer pipelines are reviewed using the location and extent review process. This process requires a review only at the planning commission level; the county commissioners do not consider the request. In addition, the planning commission's decision is only a recommendation and is not binding on the applicant.

The planning commission approved the Greeley pipeline project to be built in the LaPorte area in late 2007.

The 1041 process provides a more rigorous review of projects at the county level. It requires public hearings before both the planning commission and the county commissioners.

With a 1041 review, according to county planner Jill Bennett, the applicant must show that a project does not have a significant adverse effect on land where the proposal is situated or on adjacent lands, including sites listed on registers of historic places. Benefits must outweigh losses to natural resources or agriculture.