Energy boom drives growth that strains Western Slope

The populations of communities in western Colorado have grown by as much as 66 percent since 2000, putting stress on local infrastructures.

The Daily Sentinel said recent U.S. Census Bureau data showed that New Castle in Garfield County, a hotbed of energy development, led the region in growth. New Castle grew from 1,984 in 2000 to 3,294 in 2006.

New Castle Town Administrator David Blanchard said the biggest factor is energy industry workers who commute down valley, and service industry workers who commute to Aspen, Carbondale and other mountain communities with high costs of living.

“Our connection to Interstate 70 is the problem,” Blanchard said. “Right now we have a real problem with what amounts to an outdated overpass, outdated interchange in and out of New Castle. That amounts to a real strain.”

Blanchard said that in the first half of 2007, the town exceeded its growth projections for the entire year.

Rocky Mountains News