Supporters of buried power lines in West Frisco have submitted their testimonies to the Public Utility Commission of Texas and are awaiting public hearings in July.
After the hearings the PUCT has until Jan. 15 to decide whether to bury the proposed power lines along Main Street and Stonebrook Parkway, said Shona Huffman, Frisco Chamber of Commerce director of governmental affairs.
Brazos Electric Cooperative, the power supplier for CoServ Electric, which distributes the power to Frisco residents and businesses, filed a certificate of convenience and necessity to the PUCT in January. The proposal includes options for both overhead ($13.7 million estimate) and underground power lines ($42.6 million estimate) on Stonebrook and Main.
“If you place transmission lines on Main Street, it’s going to impact not only the city’s development plan, but it’s also going to impact everyone who’s in that community.”
—Frank Marjorie, Bury the Lines residential group attorney
Before July, administrative law judges will read through the testimonies from various intervenors, including the city, the chamber and a Bury the Lines residential group, all of whom are asking the PUCT to bury the power lines.
“Rarely do you have a situation with power lines where everyone is united on what should happen,” Huffman said.
Frank Majorie, the attorney for the BTL group, said the residential group’s testimonies will include statements from about 700 people.
The testimonies may be cross- examined during the hearings, so the chamber and other groups plan to be in Austin for the process, Huffman said. She said there is a possibility that BEC could ask for a settlement agreement before the hearings, but the PUCT does not have to accept a settlement.
The hearing’s judges will present their findings to the PUCT, which in turn will call one more hearing to either announce a final decision or to hear more presentations, Majorie said.
The PUCT’s rules for the route of new transmission lines state, “The line shall be routed to the extent reasonable to moderate the impact on the affected community and landowners unless grid reliability and security dictate otherwise.”
Majorie said the proposed power lines on Main and Stonebrook will affect thousands of people and businesses because the route is in one of the most densely populated areas
in Frisco.
“If you place transmission lines on Main Street, it’s going to impact not only the city’s development plan, but it’s also going to impact everyone who’s in that community,” Majorie said.
“This is important to thousands of people because you’re running it down Main Street. Because of that circumstance, this is a unique case.”
