State decides to drop power line in northeast Burnet County
BURNET — Hard work by both a grassroots group and Burnet County commissioners is being credited for a decision by the state to turn down a proposed high-voltage line along a scenic route.
On April 1, by unanimous vote, the Public Utilities Commission decided to remove the River Road route from a new electrical power transmission line on CR 223 along the Lampasas River, officials said.
IN PHOTO: The pristine land along CR 223 sports ‘an abundance of Texas native wildflowers, such as the bluebonnet,’ according to a designation of the lane as a scenic road by the county commissioners last summer. The Public Utilities Commission earlier this month denied a proposal to build a high-voltage power line through the area, which includes the Lampasas River. File photo
The commissioners and the nonprofit Save the Lampasas River opposed the route. In September, Oncor Electric Delivery Co. applied to the PUC to approve construction of Competitive Renewable Energy Zone power lines in Bell, Burnet and Lampasas counties.
In an effort to block the high-voltage line, which critics said would adversely affect the environment, the Burnet County Commissioners Court declared that stretch of road a scenic route.
The move apparently resonated with the PUC, officials said.
“There will be no power lines in the northeast portion of Burnet County,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Russell Graeter said during the commissioners meeting Tuesday.
Graeter also praised the Save the Lampasas River for an extensive awareness campaign involving newspaper advertising, letter-writing, road signs, speaking engagements and their Web site over several months to prevent the installation of the power line through River Road.
“Those people worked very hard,” Graeter said. “They went the whole nine yards.”
River Road residents thanked Graeter and the other commissioners for the decision last summer to declare 223 a scenic road.
“He (Graeter) worked very hard for us. He took the bull by the horns, and we appreciate what he did,” said Sandra Cole, a representative for Save the Lampasas River.
Oncor, a private firm, proposed a route to include Burnet County along 223 to the Newton station near Kempner in Lampasas County to the Killeen station in Bell County.
However, the commissioners not only declared 223 a scenic road, they also passed a resolution opposing construction of the line.
The route outlined by Oncor “would cause irreparable damage to the scenic byway,” according to the resolution.
The route also could “adversely impact” the helipad and communications equipment operated by the Oakalla Volunteer Fire Department, Graeter said.
In addition, part of the route along 223 proposed by Oncor would come as close as 100 feet to the Lampasas River and disturb wildlife and recreational activities in the area, Cole said.
The commissioners’ resolution to declare 223 a scenic road was very helpful, Cole said.
The PUC determined the line will run on monopoles near an existing power line within 1,000 feet of the Lampasas River in Bell County, Cole said.
The monopoles will hinder scenic views less than large lattice towers that might have been used, Cole added.
“All in all, it is a good decision,” Cole said. “We are pleased.”