In case you haven’t heard, Buc-ee’s has been planning an expansion between Denver and Colorado Springs, aiming to build a new travel station in the area of the small town of Palmer Lake.

There’s been quite a bit of pushback from locals who have expressed concern that the addition of a Buc-ee’s – a truly ‘next-level’ gas station stop that tends to serve as a tourist attraction for passersby – could disrupt the town’s way of life. Now, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, along with United States Senators Michael F. Bennet and John Hickenlooper, has chimed in.

A letter penned by the trio has been published online, addressed to President and CEO of Buc-ee’s Arch H. “Beaver” Aplin III. That letter starts off as follows:

“We respectfully ask that you reconsider the proposed Buc-ee’s travel center near the Greenland open-space landscape in Colorado. The proposed site is within one of the most consequential conservation corridors in the United States, a landscape that Coloradans from across the political spectrum have worked to conserve at substantial public and private expense. This week Palmer Lake residents overwhelmingly voted to recall two trustees and assert the public’s role in annexation decisions.”

Back in July, the town announced a negotiated agreement with Buc-ee’s related to a proposed annexation of land for a travel station, per reporting from the Colorado Springs Gazette. Components of that deal would mean that Buc-ee’s would construct a well that the town was planning to build, saving the town $4.3 million, as well as a second well and water line, which is expected to cost $9 million. Additionally, a one-time payment of $350,000 would be set to be paid to town from Buc-ee’s 30 days after opening, along with another $150,000 for “specific public uses.”

This agreement came after months of conversation about the potential Buc-ee’s expansion, with locals expressing concerns of crime, traffic, and impacts to the natural landscape that might come with the addition of the travel stop.

The letter signed by the trio of Colorado politicians continues to note that the Greenland open-space landscape is “anchored by Greenland Ranch, one of Colorado’s oldest continually operated cattle ranches.” The ranch was involved in a 2000 agreement that meant conserving the 21,000-acre ranch to protect open space and wildlife habitat, part of the reason that 14 miles of natural landscape continues to run along I-25 despite rapid development along the corridor over the last couple of decades. The letter also notes that the Greenland Wildlife Overpass, designed to help animals cross I-25 safely, is set to be constructed just north of the new Buc-ee’s location.

“We are concerned that a Buc-ee’s development at this site would fundamentally change how the public and wildlife experience this unique landscape,” reads the letter. “The impact of a 24/7, high-intensity facility would undercut the values Coloradans paid to protect: wildlife habitat, uninterrupted viewsheds, open spaces, working ranchland, and dark skies.”

The letter then addresses how Buc-ee’s has operated with a “strong conservation ethic” in the past, noting that Arch Alpin III previously championed the acquiring and development of state parks while serving as the Chair of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in recent years.

“We ask that Buc-ee’s apply the same ethic of stewardship to its site selection in Colorado,” reads the letter.

The letter concludes by stating that it’s not asking for Buc-ee’s to avoid Colorado altogether, rather that a different spot is selected for expansion.

Could Colorado get another Buc-ee’s? And if so, will it be in Palmer Lake? Time will tell.

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)