February 21, 2024 |
Photo – Electrical Transformer similar to the one Pacificorp needs to transport – Courtesy General Electric
Carbon County officials do not want heavy industrial equipment to be transported on an unpaved county road.
During yesterday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz said Pacificorp requested to use County Road 121, west of Medicine Bow, to transport heavy pieces of electrical equipment to their Aeolus Substation construction site. Fritz said she and Sheriff Alex Bakken do not want the haulers to use the gravel and dirt road. The road and bridge superintendent said the hauler, V. Van Dyke knows the road is impassable.
Fritz said the 11 miles of County Road 121 Pacificorp is asking to use is not suitable for heavy trucking in winter months. The superintendent said magnesium chloride, used to prevent dust on the dirt roads, does not freeze. Fritz said if Pacificorp insists on using the road before summer, it must seek permission from the county commissioners. Fritz said taking a heavily loaded truck down County Road 121 will end in disaster.
Fritz said Pacificorp’s large transformers are sitting somewhere in the county, waiting for clearance to be transported down County Road 121.
Fritz told the board that in the past, V. Van Dyke needed a motor grader to pull it’s truck up the hill where Highway 30 meets County Road 121. With an even heavier load this time, Fritz said allowing the county road to be used by Pacificorp is not a good idea. The road and bridge superintendent said she already denied a request from the hauler to increase the width of the road to better accommodate the oversized loads.
Fritz said Van Dyke understands the issue, but the hauler is receiving pressure from above to use the road anyway.
Commission Chairwoman Sue Jones said the electrical transformers cost $2 million apiece. Chairwoman Jones said she will make sure the county receives its share of the sales tax collected from the purchase. The commission chairwoman said Wyoming needs to revise its tax collection laws, a proposal unlikely to happen in her lifetime.
Commissioner John Johnson said the board can ask for proof that sales tax was paid when Pacificorp comes to seek permission to use County Road 121. Chairwoman Jones said she will personally ensure the company paid its sales taxes on the multimillion-dollar pieces of equipment.
The board expressed its support to deny Pacificorp and V. Van Dyke usage of County Road 121 until the summer.
