The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) on Tuesday delayed its decision on the route for a 150-mile high-voltage Entergy transmission line, a project designed to serve Houston’s fast-growing suburbs. After hours of arguments in Austin, commissioners announced they will revisit the issue at their October meeting, leaving landowners and local officials in limbo.
During the hearing, PUC Chair Thomas Gleeson indicated a preference for a proposal that would route the line across Lake Livingston, a possibility that has drawn strong reactions from communities on both sides of the reservoir.
In Montgomery County, residents of Willis contend one of the proposed routes would devastate their neighborhood. George Webster, a local homeowner, said the line would run directly over his house. “It’s ridiculous… We have four neighbors, and it would wipe out our community,” he stated. Other residents expressed frustration over what they described as inadequate notification, arguing they were not given a fair opportunity to intervene.
Meanwhile, officials from Houston and the Trinity River Authority (TRA), which operates Lake Livingston, staunchly oppose any route that crosses the reservoir. The lake is a critical resource, supplying nearly 70 percent of Houston’s drinking water. A TRA board member warned that building support towers in the water would “create obstacles and public safety threats that currently do not exist.” Opponents also raised environmental alarms, fearing that construction could stir up dioxins and PCBs previously identified in the lakebed sediment, potentially compromising water quality for millions.
Entergy representatives emphasized that the project is necessary to improve electrical reliability and meet growing demand across Southeast Texas. The utility’s attorney stated that all proposed routes are technically feasible and that routing decisions have weighed factors including cost, environmental impact, and the number of homes affected.
With the decision postponed, both sides are preparing additional legal filings. Willis families are urging commissioners to block any route that impacts their homes, while Houston leaders and the TRA continue to press against a lake crossing. The final decision, which could reshape communities from Willis to Lake Livingston, remains unresolved.
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