A dispute over a narrow strip of ranchland in eastern Colorado has become a broader legal battle over how far an electricity utility can go to secure land for renewable energy projects. According to reporting by The Colorado Sun, Utility Dive and the Kiowa County Independent, Xcel Energy is challenging a ruling that denied it the power to seize a disputed easement from a fourth-generation farming and ranching family. The conflict centres on Dryland Partners, a family-run agricultural business operated by Darin Dickey and his brothers in Cheyenne County. The family had sold approximately 90 acres to Xcel Energy in 2022 for $585,000 to accommodate the Goose Creek substation. However, negotiations later broke down over a separate 550-foot right of way needed to connect two wind farms to the electricity grid.
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