Erath County Historical Commission votes to intervene against proposed 765 kV transmission line project

The Erath County Historical Commission voted unanimously on March 17 to become an intervener opposing the proposed 765 kV transmission-line project that committee members said could threaten local burial sites.

Cindy Shipman, speaking for the commission’s Cemetery Preservation Committee, told members she had spent recent weeks researching the project’s local impact and compiled a report identifying 12 cemeteries potentially endangered by the line. She said Oncor’s earlier routing documents had shown eight affected sites. The commission’s motion to intervene passed unanimously.

The commission did not record a mover or seconder for the motion in the minutes. The seven commissioners listed as present on the meeting record—Larry Smith, Ben Pate, Terry Gibbs, Cathey Hartmann, Carole Boucher, Cindy Shipman and Janae Smith—voted in favor, according to the minutes.

Commission members framed the vote as a step to secure standing to review route plans and advocate for cemeteries that the commission says were not reflected in the utility’s earlier filings. The minutes record the decision but do not detail legal steps the commission will take next or whether the county will retain counsel.

The commission’s minutes use two spellings for the project ("Dino-Longshore" and, in capital letters, "DINOSAUR - LONGSHORE 765 KV TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT"). The commission and staff should confirm the formal project name and citation in future filings; in this article the project is referred to as the "Dinosaur-Longshore 765 kV transmission-line project" to reflect the minutes’ variants and the technical unit reported in the record.

The commission will take up related preservation and coordination work at upcoming meetings; the next ECHC meeting is scheduled for May 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Erath County Courthouse.