Town Retains Special Council for Oncor Transmission Line Project

On Monday, Dec. 19 the Argyle Town Council unanimously approved retaining special counsel to assist the town and residents in opposing the current proposed routes of Oncor’s Ramhorn Hill-Dunham transmission line. The council has chosen Mr. Thomas Brocato and the firm of Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, who have over 30 years of experience in handling Energy and Utility cases. 

The Town of Argyle is committed to the preservation of the natural beauty and resources of the community, a mission and goal that is a key element of the Town Vision and Guiding Principles. Oncor Electric Delivery Company has proposed an 18–22 mile electric transmission line that will destroy the resources and beauty Argyle residents value and enjoy.

In 2019 the Texas Trees Foundation provided an Urban Forest Ecosystem Analysis to the Town of Argyle. Based on this resource assessment Argyle’s 627,500 trees have a structural value of over $484 million. The environmental benefits of these trees cannot be understated, providing 10 thousand tons of oxygen to the community each year along with the removal of pollution and carbon sequestration. In addition, Argyle’s estimated 86 trees per acre provide residents with an energy savings of $7,460 per year.

The Town of Argyle has worked closely with the Town of Northlake to propose an alternate southern route that would avoid many of the homes, schools, churches and businesses that will be impacted by the current proposed routes.

The transmission routes must also conform to the policy of Prudent Avoidance. This requires Oncor to alter the line configuration and selection of routes in areas that do not conform to the standards by doing so it ensures the transmission line routes avoid or limit exposure by residents to electric and magnetic fields with reasonable investments of money and effort. However, some of the proposed routes in Argyle go directly over elementary school playgrounds and churches.

“It is important for all affected parties to quickly send unique and individual comments to Oncor and ultimately the PUC,” said Argyle Mayor Bryan Livingston. “We support the expansion of electrical capacity in our community. However, we expect that development to be responsible and well thought out, which it has not been so far.”

Why is the Town of Argyle is opposing the current proposed transmission routes?

- Unsafe proximity to neighborhoods and residents

- Unsafe proximity to schools, medical facilities and businesses

- Unsafe proximity to parks and other recreational and historical sites

- Unsafe proximity to FAA-registered airports, heliports and private airstrips

- Unsafe proximity to commercial radio transmitters and other electronic installations

- Harmful impact to agricultural and other environmental sensitive areas

- Harmful impact to wildlife and protected or endangered species

- Lack of environmental integrity

- Violates Prudent Avoidance requirement of electromagnetic frequency radiation exposure

- Negative impact to Argyle’s community vision, mission and goals

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