LIMESTONE COUNTY, Texas — A Mount Calm man says a letter from Lone Star Transmission revealed plans for a 345-kilovolt line that could bisect land his family has owned for more than 50 years.
Don George, a longtime Mount Calm resident and Limestone County landowner, said the letter arrived looking like routine mail.
"At first we thought it was just a Realtor letter saying, 'We'd like to buy your property.' Big package. We decided to open it up, and lo and behold, we had the cover letter. The cover letter said that there were proposed 345-kilovolt transmission lines going straight through our property," George said.
Lone Star Transmission is proposing the new 345-kilovolt transmission line to connect the planned Mercury Solar Three facility in Limestone County to the Texas electrical grid. The line would run between the planned solar collection substation and Lone Star's existing Liberty Station in Mount Calm.
George said the project would divide land his family has carefully maintained.
"This transmission will cut our property in half. In fact, the lower part of our property is designated for wilderness and wildlife, and so we've done that to try to build back some of the — it's a green belt," George said.
He said the proposal is part of a broader trend reshaping the area.
"Because of the way things are right now with all the transmission lines and the renewable energy, we're surrounded now by wind farms, solar farms, and it's just growing. And this is the beginning of the proposal," George said.
For George, the stakes are deeply personal.
"How it affects us — well, this is our retirement. This is not only just our land, this is our home and our retirement plan. And they're about to — this letter basically says your property could possibly be under eminent domain," George said.
When asked how the project would affect daily life for his family, George said the change would be profound.
"It completely alienates us. This is no longer the home that we came out here and again, it's been in the family. There are a lot of memories here and everything, and it's not going to be the same," George said.
I reached out to Lone Star Transmission and am still waiting for a response.
A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, where the Public Utility Commission will weigh concerns before approving the project.
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