67.5

Risk Grade

Poor

Telluride ski resort economy; San Miguel Power Association territory; progressive-NIMBY culture combines environmental zeal with anti-industrial sentiment; steep mountainous terrain; effectively zero utility-scale tolerance

Assessment Snapshot

Population

8179

State Rank

#48

Compliance

60%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

300 ft+ from structures; additional ridgeline and viewshed restrictions

Zoning Mechanism

Conditional Use Permit with BOCC approval; high bar for approval

Acreage Caps

Effectively none — no viable utility-scale sites

Density Caps

Spacing Rules

Not applicable

Size Restrictions

Utility-scale solar effectively prohibited by practice

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Strongly Opposed — progressive-NIMBY fusion; strong environmental and scenic protection culture

Basis for Assessment

Telluride Watch; BOCC meeting minutes; environmental protection ordinance text

Political Risk Factors

Worsening

Board Members

Hilary Cooper (D, 2026) | Lance Waring (D, 2027) | Kris Holstrom (D, 2026)

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

San Miguel Power Association / WECC

Utilities

San Miguel Power Association

State Permitting Process

County zoning; HB 23-1232 CEO review >50 MW; decommissioning bond required

State Incentives

Federal ITC; Colorado Clean Energy Fund; Xcel RE procurement programs

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

None on record

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None — no formal applications due to prohibitive environment

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San Miguel County, CO — Solar Development Risk Assessment