ETT/Sharyland Announces Intervention Deadline for North Edinburg to Loma Alta Transmission Line

MonopoleLate in the afternoon on July 3rd, utilities Electric Transmission Texas (ETT) and Sharyland filed their joint application for the proposed North Edinburg to Loma Alta, 345 kV transmission line in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas. It is expected to affect thousands of landowners. The deadline for landowners to intervene and influence which of the 32 proposed routes is chosen, is August 19th, 2013.

This line is planned to extend from the northern perimeter of the city of Edinburg and continue on to end in the Brownsville /Harlingen area. Landowners who own property or a home near the proposed routes should expect to be contacted soon by ETT/Sharyland about routing the line across their property if they have not already been contacted.

Although the estimated date of completion for the proposed project is not until June 30, 2016, the window to influence the routing process is restricted to a much shorter window. Landowners MUST intervene by August 19th in order to have a say in the final route. 

Electric Transmission Texas, LLC will construct and own the western half of the new transmission line, and Sharyland Utilities, L.P. will construct and own the eastern half. This transmission line project will be primarily on steel single-pole structures and extend 96.3 miles to approximately 124.5 miles depending on which of the 32 proposed routes is ultimately chosen. The total estimated cost for the project ranges from approximately $314 million to $405 million.

Both the Lobo to Rio Bravo to North Edinburg line (currently in the condemnation phase), and the North Edinburg to Loma Alta transmission lines are part of a larger transmission line network called the Cross Valley Project, which you can read more about in our blog, South Texas Landowners at Risk in Electric Transmission Texas / Sharyland Power Play for Land. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors endorsed and deemed the construction of the Cross Valley transmission project “critical to reliability” for the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and imperative to addressing continued growth in electrical load in the Brownsville area.

If your land is targeted, you face a changed landscape and decreased property values. Your concerns can be heard at the Public Utility Commission in Austin, but only if you get involved early and understand the process. Landowners who stay on the sidelines are often the most impacted. Our team has developed winning strategies to help landowners minimize or remove the impact to their land. Braun & Gresham knows the players, the procedures, and even the politics to protect you in the transmission line routing process. Contact Machelle Knight, a Braun & Gresham paralegal, today to schedule your free, 30-minute consultation with attorney and counselor, Patrick Reznik.

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