June 23, 2025

Jun 23, 2025

In this edition: Brown County Commissioners consider impacts of a major new power line; Local manufacturers in significant noncompliance with Brownwood industrial wastewater standards; Nuclear waste storage in West Texas gets the green light from US Supreme Court

County Commissioners Concerned by Lack of Public Outreach from Oncor

At the June 16 regular meeting of the Brown County Commissioners Court, Precinct 2 Commissioner Joel Kelton shared his concerns about the potential impacts of a new high-voltage power line, the Oncor Dinosaur Switch Project, which this newsletter reported on in a June 2 Action Alert.

The proposed project is called the Dinosaur-Longshore 765 kV Transmission Line. A map of potential routes shows two preliminary route links passing through the northern half of Brown County, on a 200+ miles-long route from the vicinity of Glen Rose at the eastern end, to the vicinity of Forsan at the western end, just south of Big Spring. Commissioner Kelton said that Oncor intends to file their application for the project with the Public Utility Commission in December, and expects a PUC decision by June, 2026.

https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/about-us/transmission-systems/current-transmission-line-projects.html

During the meeting, Kelton and County Judge Shane Britton related their difficulties in trying to access and view the route maps provided by Oncor, and stated their opinion that citizens needed to be able to view and study the maps in detail.

Commissioner Kelton noted that despite the potentially significant impacts of the project, including a 200’ wide right-of-way, and 200’ tall towers for the high-voltage power lines, few Brown County citizens had heard of the project, and no public meetings had been scheduled by Oncor in Brown County. He said that he and Judge Britton had contacted Oncor to request a public meeting here, but had received no response to date.

Oncor did hold public meetings in Big Spring, Sweetwater, and Stephenville on June 2, 3, and 4. A report by Abilene CBS affiliate KTAB on the Sweetwater meeting showed many citizens in attendance with a variety of concerns about the project.

For more information about the project, contact Ms. Christine Williams at Oncor, 214-486-5841, or email transmissionprojects@oncor.com.

City of Brownwood Reports Corporate Non-compliance in Wastewater Pre-treatment.

Three of Brownwood’s top corporate employers were found “in significant noncompliance” with the City of Brownwood’s Industrial Pretreatment Program for wastewater in the past year, according to a notice published May 24 in the Brownwood Bulletin.

The companies listed were 3M, Kohler Main, and Superior Essex. 3M Brownwood makes reflective sheeting for highway signs, license plates, protective clothing and security laminates. Kohler Brownwood makes vitreous toilet bowls at the largest of the three Kohler potteries in the United States, and Superior Essex Communications is the leading manufacturer and supplier of fiber-optic and copper communications cables in North America.

According to Mackenzie Baugh, Industrial Pre-treatment Coordinator for the City of Brownwood, 3M was non-compliant 8 times, Kohler and Superior once each.

Superior was also found non-compliant with reporting requirements, once.

The city is required to publish the list of non-compliant industries in accordance with the city’s Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit (# WQ0010565001), issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The public notice includes a disclaimer of sorts, which states that the list of companies “does not necessarily reflect any direct environmental impact or pollution by the industries named.”

According to Ms. Baugh, 3M is currently permitted to discharge up to 120,000 gallons per day of wastewater, Kohler is permitted 112,400 gallons, and Superior 40,000.

Learn more about these multinational corporate giants and their Brownwood operations:

https://brownwoodbusiness.com/about-bmdd/news/industry-in-brownwood

https://superioressexcommunications.com/

Learn more about Brownwood’s Industrial (wastewater) Pre-treatment Program, including links to the Industrial Waste Survey and Pretreatment Application/Questionnaire:

https://www.brownwoodtexas.gov/412/Wastewater-Treatment-Plant

Who Gets Permits to Pollute in Brown County?

You can personally subscribe to a TCEQ mailing list of local air, water, and waste permit applications. According to the TCEQ website:

If you submit a comment, request a public meeting, or request a contested case hearing regarding a specific permit application, the TCEQ will automatically add you to the mailing list for that application.

You may also request to be on either of these two kinds of mailing lists:

1. The permanent mailing list for a specific applicant name and permit number.
2. The permanent mailing list for a specific county (which includes all air, water, and waste notices in that county).
3. To get on either of these additional mailing lists, you must send a request to the chief clerk. In your request, specify the mailing list or lists you want to be on, and include your name and address.
Send your request to:

Chief Clerk’s Office, MC 105

TCEQ

PO Box 13087

Austin, TX 78711-3087

You can also call the Chief Clerk’s Office at 512-239-3300

Do your own search for public notices here:

https://www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eNotice/

“Supreme Court clears the way for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and New Mexico” (Texas Tribune, June 19)

True or False? Nuclear energy is the perfect, possibly the only, truly viable solution to the climate change conundrum

This is a tough question-- plausible arguments can be made for either answer.

Proponents of nuclear energy will say there is no other electricity source with greater promise, and point to France as an example.

Opponents will always counter with the question that, to this day, has no definitive answer in this country: Where do we put the waste? Currently, most is stored temporarily on-site at the power plants where it was created. Most plants are now out of storage space.

Texas doesn’t want it, and nobody else does either. But the US Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the authority to license temporary storage sites in West Texas and New Mexico.

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/19/texas-nuclear-waste/

The problem is in the numbers. The temporary storage license in question is for 40 years, with an option to renew for another 40. Yet the waste will be radioactive for thousands of years. Who will take responsibility for its safety for that long?

Learn more about nuclear waste disposal:

https://www.gao.gov/nuclear-waste-disposal

Support Your Green News

Your feedback is always welcomed, especially updates and corrections to keep the Civic Calendar current.

If you like this newsletter, forward it on to someone else, and ask them to subscribe. Send correspondence to beemonster@verizon.net.

Send story leads anytime, or drop by to see me at the Brownwood Art Center, 215 Fisk, weekdays, 2-6 pm. I’ll be the Gallery Guy greeting you at the front desk.

Civic Calendar: Your shortcut to citizenship and political participation

Brownwood City Council 501 Center Ave City Hall

9 am every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday

https://brownwoodtexas.gov/150/City-Council

City of Brownwood Agenda Center posts agendas for Boards and Commissions including:

City Council, Airport Board, B’wd Municipal Development District Board, Building and Standards Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission and more….

https://www.brownwoodtexas.gov/AgendaCenter

Early City Council 960 Early Blvd. City Hall

6 pm every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday

https://www.earlytx.net/96/City-Council

Blanket City council 718 Main St. Blanket Lions Club

5:30 pm Third Monday

https://www.facebook.com/cityofblanket/photos

Bangs City Council 109 S. First St. City Hall

6 pm 2^nd and 4^th Monday

https://www.cityofbangs.org/

Brown County Commissioners 200 S. Broadway County Courthouse

9 am First and Third Mondays confirm on county calendar