Burnet County takes official stance against transmission line

By Dakota Morrissiey

The Burnet County Commissioners Court officially joined a growing public wave of opposition to a massive high-voltage transmission line that would cut through the county’s north end.

The court on Oct. 28 unanimously passed a resolution opposing the state project, putting official questions, concerns, and requests on paper. 

The resolution made direct requests to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and Oncor Electric Delivery to reconsider the line’s route and delay the project until the county’s concerns were addressed. It was also mailed to state and federal elected officials representing Burnet County. The PUCT is developing and implementing the project’s plan, while the LCRA and Oncor are responsible for buildout.

“The Burnet County Commissioners Court is concerned about the negative effects such a large transmission line will have on Burnet County’s natural resources, historic and archaeological sites, parks and recreational areas, natural beauty, tourism, and land value in the community,” said Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle, reading the resolution aloud to the court on Tuesday.

The Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kilovolt transmission project would run 200 miles of power lines from Bell County to Schleicher County, with all current proposed routes passing through Burnet County. 

This would be the largest transmission line project in state history and the first time 765-kV lines have been run in Texas. The lines are more than double the typical 345-kV line voltage and provide more efficient electric delivery. They don’t require as many towers as smaller lines, but the towers are larger, at about 15 stories, and require much bigger rights-of-way and easements.

The transmission line’s scope and impact have landowners worried.

“I am deeply concerned that the proposed G6 route runs through some of Burnet County’s most historically significant and scenic lands,” said resident Mia Sarot during Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting. “This project would permanently scar the landscape that tells our county’s story, that our children should inherit intact.”

The “G6 route” to which Sarot referred is one of many proposed segments of the transmission line. See an interactive map of the project with all proposed routes on the LCRA’s website.

Debbie Lee, another resident with land along one of the proposed routes, also voiced her concerns.

“Our family is tied to this land,” she said. “Our son died and is buried here. Our parents’ ashes are scattered here. Now they want to run an environmentally devastating line, as well as the accompanying infrastructure through the heart of the area.”

The resolution listed the following concerns:

• The Burnet County Commissioners Court is concerned that these are the first 765-kV transmission lines that are being built in Texas with unknown health effects on our young, our elderly, and generally our residents.
• The court is aware and concerned that many of our landowners object to this line being built and do not want it to be built through Burnet County, Texas.
• The court believes that other options outside Burnet County should be and should have been considered.
• The court is concerned about the damage to our roads and surrounding properties around the transmission line during and as a result of construction
• The court questions why property owners, as stakeholders, were not alerted to the process by the PUCT in 2023 with an opportunity to participate before decisions were made about the 765-kV lines.
• The court questions whether Oncor and LCRA sufficiently considered alternate routes outside of Burnet County along other compatible rights of way and whether there could be better routes that meet the requirements of prudent avoidance.

The big requests from the resolution are:

• The court requests the PUCT, Oncor, and the LCRA to respond to the aforementioned concerns, consider alternate routes outside of the county, work with the landowners to understand and abide by the request related to their land, and address any and all construction damage caused by the building of the transmission lines. 
• The court requests that the LCRA and Oncor delay their filing of application until after they have addressed the aforementioned concerns and provide new and better alternative routes and segments for the transmission line.

The LCRA and Oncor are expected to file an official application with the PUCT in November or December for the project, which would trigger a 30-day window for public involvement.

The resolution was sent to the PUCT, the LCRA, and Oncor. It was also sent to several elected officials, who are listed below:

• U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz
• U.S. Sen. John Cornyn
• U.S. Rep. John Carter
• Gov. Greg Abbott
• State Sen. Pete Flores
• State Rep. Ellen Troxclair

Burnet County also built an information hub for the transmission line project on its website that lets residents know how to engage with the process.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Local concern for the project began when notice was given in May to the Burnet County Commissioners Court and several landowners that the LCRA and Oncor were planning to build the transmission line through rural ranchland in the northern half of the county. 

The project is by order of the Texas Legislature through its Permian Basin Reliability Plan, which dictates that transmission lines should bring more electricity to West Texas to meet the growing demand for power in that region.

Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson was notified twofold, as his property lies along one of the proposed routes. He has recused himself from all Commissioners Court votes and deliberations on the matter.

Publicly, a protest was held in Burnet on Oct. 11, and dozens of questions and concerns were raised at a town hall hosted by the PUCT on Oct. 21. Other residents spoke out during Commissioners Court sessions, and the court hired legal help to help navigate the situation in July. 

dakota@thepicayune.com