Transmission line may be landowners' headache
In May, the Lower Colorado River Authority sent notification packets to landowners in Tom Green, Irion, Schleicher, Menard, Sutton, Kimble, Kerr and Gillespie counties whose property it might cross with one of three different routes of the proposed Twin Buttes-McCamey Transmission Line project.
These notices included vague maps of the proposed routes and fluffed information regarding the reasons for them and how it will affect the land they confiscate.
It also included a list of meeting locations where they would explain what they were up to — sort of. As it turns out they got the addresses from abstract title numbers — many of which apparently haven’t been updated. Therefore, many of the possible affected property owners have not received notification.
It seems this is all they are legally required to do. This project is moving very fast — too fast for a program of this magnitude.
If owners don’t begin working together now, they could wake up one morning in the not-too-distant future with a four-legged, 180-foot tower in their front yard and a 160- to 200-foot easement going through the middle of their ranch.
When coming up with these routes, LCRA made no effort to go down section lines, miss a house or barn, or to stay far enough from airports to abide with FAA regulations or utilize existing right of ways. They pretty much drew straight lines from Christoval to Kerrville.
There won’t be another effort to locate owners until October by LCRA, when the authority decides whose land it is going to confiscate. By then it will be too late. Before you know it they’ll be coming through your gate.
You can check out what LCRA is up to by going to its Web site, lcra.org/crez. Then search Twin Buttes-McCamey D-Westwind-Kendall 345kV Transmission Line project. Another site you can check out is clearviewallinace.org. This is a group of folks that may be affected and are doing something about it.
We have no beef with the folks who want wind turbines on their land. They have the right to do with their ranch as they see fit and what they feel is best for themselves and their families. But there has to be a better way to solve this problem than to have your country taken by eminent domain with virtually no consideration for which route will do the least damage.
If you don’t want your land scarred now is the time to do something about it.
Jim Chionsini of San Angelo is chairman and founder of the Granite Publications newspaper group.
22 July 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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