Burnet County hosting transmission line workshop
Stock image for illustrative purposes only.
Burnet County officials will host a special workshop on the Bell County East to Big Hill 765 kV Transmission Line at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16 at the Burnet County Agrilife Extension building, 607 N. Vanderveer Street in Burnet. The workshop is the latest step in the county’s opposition to a state power project, which threatens to cut straight through its northern half.
The workshop is open to the public and will be attended by members of the Burnet County Commissioners Court. See the agenda for the workshop at this link.
According to Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson, the workshop could be one of many that are held as the county organizes its stance against the transmission line. Friday’s workshop aims to educate interested residents, facilitate open discussion of the project, and ultimately determine what county officials and residents can do to make their voices heard.
“We’ll start working on a series of workshops where we can have a discussion with the community to identify action items for the citizens for what they can do, and what the county can do, then bring those things before the full Commissioners Court to see if they want to move forward on any of those items,” Wilson explained.
The workshops are being held as an alternative to the proposed “transmission line opposition committee,” which was scrapped by the court after numerous applications for membership and issues with the legal mechanics of running a county-sponsored committee.
“We had so many people reaching out that wanted to be on the committee,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle said. “We figured a setting like (the workshop) would be more fruitful than a committee of 30 people.”
The workshop will include a fact-sharing discussion on health and safety concerns; water law; environmental development; emergency management and communications; and Burnet County historical heritage. It will also include ways the public and county can intervene in Public Utility Commission of Texas decisions and a dive into the role that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality may play in the transmission line project.
“We need the input, we need the help, we need people to take action,” Wilson said.
Background on the Bell County East to Big Hill 765 kV Transmission Line
The Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kV Transmission Project has been on Burnet County’s radar since May 2025. Since then, public opposition and protest has risen and the county has officially taken up opposition to the state project.
The transmission line project’s intention is to bring power to West Texas, but many Burnet County residents believe that it would be at the expense of Hill Country landowners.
Read the DailyTrib stories below to learn more:
- ”Massive transmission line would cut through Burnet County,” June 6, 2025
- ”Burnet County considers careful next steps in response to transmission line,” June 25, 2025
- “Burnet County seeks legal counsel for transmission line project,” July 10, 2025
- “Burnet County OKs funds for transmission line legal help,” July 22, 2025
- “Power line project protesters: Why here?,” Oct. 13, 2025
- “Questions raised, but few answered, at transmission line town hall,” Oct. 24, 2025
- “Burnet County takes official stance against transmission line,” Oct. 29, 2025
- “Oncor and LCRA update transmission line timeline,” Nov. 4, 2025
- “Llano County joins transmission line opposition,” Nov. 11, 2025
- “Transmission line opposition creates protest schedule and theme song ‘Two Hundred Miles of Greed’,” Nov. 24, 2025