Summerville planning body adopts policy urging PUC to avoid routing lines through cemeteries; schedules agency meetings

The Summerville Subregional Planning Commission on March 7 adopted a policy asking the Public Utility Commission of Texas to give substantial weight to the presence of cemeteries and burial sites when evaluating transmission‑line routing and urged that routes that would cross or come into close proximity to known burial grounds be avoided.

The policy — presented as a Chapter 391 update to the commission’s planning document — adds language requiring project applicants to identify, map and evaluate known and potential cemetery and burial sites and states that routes bisecting or coming within a few hundred feet of such sites are “incompatible with the community values, historical preservation priorities, and culture heritage of the region.” The commission also approved sending letters to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and a separately timed letter to Encore, the transmission developer, to request meetings and gather technical input.

Commission staff read sections of the proposed resolution into the record during the item’s presentation. The Chair said the draft notes that some burial sites “may be located within close proximity to or directly impacted by proposed transmission alignments” and cited the Texas Health and Safety Code, chapter 711, which protects dedicated cemeteries. “Any transmission route that would cross by sector be located in close proximity to a dedicated cemetery or burial site is incompatible with the community values,” the Chair read from the draft.

Public commenters had raised related concerns before the policy discussion. David Allen told the commission he recently learned of a nearby airport and said aircraft fly directly over his family’s property; he warned the commission and Encore to consider possible conflicts between flight corridors and proposed transmission corridors. “Their airplanes go right over our property,” Allen said, adding that residents worry about whether the company had done adequate local diligence.

Commissioners discussed edits to the draft language and described the policy as a “living document” that can be updated as the commission collects more information. After a motion to approve the policy, the commission voted by voice; the Chair announced the policy was adopted.

The commission also voted to invite the city of Stephenville to join the Summerville Subregional Planning Commission and add an elected representative, a move members said would preserve the required two‑thirds elected membership while expanding regional coordination.

On next steps, staff recommended sending two letters at the same time — to Texas Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife — and a separate letter to Encore so the commission can gather technical information from the wildlife agencies before meeting Encore. Counsel and staff offered to prepare suggested questions for commissioners to use in agency meetings. The commission proposed meeting dates (offering two options to the agencies) and asked that letters be sent by street mail with return‑receipt requests to document delivery; commissioners requested a short (two‑week) response window from agencies where possible.

Staff reminded landowners about PUC case deadlines and available help: the commission noted the intervention deadline for the PUC case is March 23, 2026, the deadline to file testimony or statements was moved to April 8, 2026 (staff advised earlier filing where practicable), discovery to Encore’s direct case is due April 13, 2026, and a hearing is currently scheduled for May 4–8, 2026 in Austin. The Chair urged affected landowners to file interventions and said the county office and volunteers will help with filings at a public assistance session that evening in Lingleville.

The commission said it will post the adopted documents, minutes and video on its usual channels and continue refining the document as additional information becomes available. The meeting adjourned after final comments.