Residents, council hear early presentation on proposed 345 kV Encore transmission line; concerns about routing and community engagement

City staff and an Encore representative briefed the Taylor City Council on a preliminary proposal for a 345 kilovolt transmission line and preliminary route study, and residents used the citizens’ comment period to press council and the utility for stronger community input and route avoidance of neighborhoods and downtown.

The presentation described the proposed project beginning at the Muscovy Switch and running through Boss Lake and Walleye switches near the old Alcoa plant. Staff said the project is at an information‑gathering stage; Encore and the city are compiling survey and permitting information, and Encore anticipates a possible ERCOT filing in 2027. "This is a 345 kilovolt transmission line," a staff presenter stated while showing examples of monopole and lattice structures. Staff explained that once Encore files with the Public Utility Commission, the PUC has 180 days to approve or deny a selected route.

Residents who spoke at the meeting said they are worried about the scale of the infrastructure, property impacts, tree loss and a perceived lack of early collaboration. Carrie Deanna, a District 1 resident, told council that neighbors are "terrified right now about whose property it will go through and whose it won't," and urged the city to require routes that "go around the citizens who already exist here." Pamela Griffin asked that the line not be routed down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, adding residents would protest if a route cut through their neighborhood. Council members repeatedly told Encore they do not want the line to be routed through downtown neighborhoods and urged Encore to study alternative routes and avoid recommending a downtown path to the PUC.

Encore's representative (introduced to the council as Corey) described the planned public process: multiple route alternatives will be studied, open houses will be scheduled and property owners within a specified notification radius will be alerted if a route is selected near them. "We'll study multiple routes," the Encore presenter said, noting that the city’s submitted constraints and additional data from staff can be included in Encore’s early study materials. Staff emphasized that public feedback submitted during the study period will be part of the application submitted to regulators.

No final routes or infrastructure types were selected at the meeting. Staff and Encore said public meetings and alternative-route open houses will be held as studies progress; the PUC will make the ultimate routing decision after the formal application process. Council did not take formal action on the project at the Feb. 12 meeting.

Provenance: Topic appears beginning in the staff presentation (SEG 952) and resumes through extensive public comment and council Q&A concluding before the next agenda item (SEG 1449).