Preserve Our San Saba Environment (POSSE)non-profit

December 9, 2009
Texas Parks & Wildlife filed their recommendations and comments in Docket #37464. Among other things, TPWD recommended that Oncor avoid crossing the Colorado River. The Public Utility Commission must respond to those recommendations. More...

November 26, 2009
Once upon a time there was an incredibly special place called San Saba. There was no place else on the planet quite like it. San Saba was blessed with rolling hills, magnificent views and flowing water. Two special rivers crossed the County and an unbelievably huge natural spring flowed right through the middle of town more...

November 12, 2009

Dear Editor,

POSSE; the Moral Argument

By now, many citizens of San Saba County, as well as Brown, Mills, and Lampasas Counties are aware that Oncor is planning to build a 345KV Transmission Line. There are 46 alternate routes, 22 of which run thru San Saba County and one of which is Oncor’s designated preferred route. Many of us are “affected landowners” by virtue of having one of these alternate routes run over our land. Protect Our San Saba Environment, Inc (“POSSE”) formed to fight to keep this project from despoiling the Colorado River and San Saba County greenspace where nonesuch thing presently exists. Other entities, the city of Goldthwaite included, have retained lawyers to try to keep this project in San Saba County.

Early in this process in June when I first received notice from Oncor that they would potentially be crossing my own property in San Saba with a 345KV Transmission Line, I quickly realized that I could not pray to God that this evil be visited on my neighbors elsewhere in San Saba rather than myself, nor on my neighbors elsewhere in surrounding counties. I could not pray that evil should befall others, rather than me.

In time, I realized that San Saba County is a relatively and increasingly unique greenspace, that the Colorado River is a singular ecological jewel, and that allowing that transmission line to cross these aesthetically and environmentally unique lines and spaces was an affront to all TEXANs who value our vanishing TEXAS landscapes and viewscapes.

In further time and with more study, I realized that if I went back 100+ years, and was tasked with the problem of locating a major travel artery out of Central TEXAS and going West and/or Northwest, say to Colorado or Northern New Mexico, I would try to avoid crossing rivers because of the engineering difficulty….I would stick to higher ground that is generally much more stable and suitable for road building. In fact, Hwy183 is situated on the divide between the Colorado River riparian zones and watershed and the Brazos River’s equivalent spaces, following the higher ground exactly as one would expect.

The Hwy183 corridor passes thru Lampasas, Lometa, Goldthwaite, and Brownwood. Generally this is a major travel artery going west out of Austin and for decade upon decade there has been economic development and benefit along this corridor. When a traveler leaves Austin to drive to Colorado’s ski slopes he or she will drop dollars all along the route.

San Saba County, on the other hand, is bypassed by these economic blessings. Instead we have developed our own economy based largely on agricultural and recreational economic values. It is these fragile values that are directly attacked by an “industrial grade” transmission line that blights the river and the greenspaces where so much of our economic and aesthetic values lie.

Significantly, there is a PUC guideline that generally asserts that new transmission lines should follow established corridors, not just the least expensive route, which generally in this case dictates that the line should stay North of the Colorado River and follow the higher ground on the divide between the rivers.

For citizens of Goldthwaite, or others similarly situated, to wish that this line should be built in San Saba County is, in my opinion, a “have our cake and eat it too” argument. They have benefited from the economic blessings of being situated on a major travel corridor, and they should NOT wish to slough off the negative side-effects of their good fortune, lo all these years, on their neighbors South of the river.

Roger Alan Whatley

POSSE

October 29, 2009
On occasion, I have been on high ground in San Saba County and looked out over the horizon and saw smoke rising. Recent events have caused this to take on a new symbolism in my mind, and I want to share that with landowners and residents of the county. More...

October 29, 2009
106 San Saba citizens took a stand last Monday evening. Literally. The standing room only crowd assembled at 7:00 pm on October 19th to learn more about the proposed high-voltage transmission line proposed for San Saba County. More...

October 15, 2009
On October 7, last week Oncor filed its preference with the PUC to construct a 345KV Transmission Line across San Saba County. There are currently no transmission lines like this in the county, although some lines like it can be seen on the way to Brownwood along Hwy45 in Brown County. More...

October 26, 2009
After interviewing several qualified attorneys in Austin, POSSE selected Bradford W. Bayliff and Susan C. Gentz of the firm, Casey, Gentz & Magness, LLP, to represent us in connection with Oncor's proposed 345kV CREZ transmission line.

October 1, 2009

 The San Saba County Commissioners Court met on Monday, September 28th at 9:00 a.m. in the County Court Room. Judge Byron Theodosis called the meeting to order, welcoming the 17 guests. More...

October 1, 2009
Landowners in San Saba County have begun to organize to fight Oncor’s plans to construct a 345KV Transmission Line thru San Saba County. This transmission line with planned towers that are 150 feet tall and 160 feet wide, are intended only to carry electrical power from West Texas more...