With a round of applause from a packed courtroom, Denton County commissioners passed a resolution opposing proposed Oncor power line routes through Denton County.

Commissioners listened to comments from residents supporting a resolution, adjusted some language in the resolution and then took a vote on it.

“Public input and having you all comment is a wonderful thing,” Commissioner Hugh Coleman said before the public took the lectern. “I have spoken to a lot of you all, and those I have had an opportunity to speak with, I told them I am not prepared to pick any particular route. My decision is we should be opposed to the line in general.

“As a community, we should oppose it.”

The resolution found its way to the Commissioners Court largely through the efforts of the Greenbelt Alliance of Denton County. The group began building opposition to the routes by gathering signatures at public meetings Oncor conducted earlier this year.

The line in question is a high-voltage power line proposed to run from Krum to Anna that could be anywhere from 40 to 100 miles long depending on the route.

The segment is part of a $4.93 billion statewide project to improve the reliability of the electric grid and increase its capacity to carry 18,456 megawatts of wind-generated power from West Texas and the Panhandle.

Residents filled the seats, leaving standing room only in the Commissioners Courtroom and using several seats in a balcony.

“The Greenbelt is close to us. It’s unfortunate this resolution seems to be pitting neighbor against neighbor, and there’s been discussion about deep pockets and that sort of thing,” resident Brian Holeman told commissioners. “This resolution can and should present the position of the county to have the least impact on the fewest number of people.”

The Greenbelt is a place where he and his family have jogged, ridden horses and spent time doing other activities, Holeman said.

He and others supporting the resolution asked the court to encourage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to enforce its own policy requiring any project in the area to have the least impact. If there were no viable alternatives, then it should cross the Greenbelt, he said, but “there are multiple viable alternatives.”

Coleman said the wording of the resolution was good and said the county needed to be clear about its opposition to lines in the Greenbelt or farming and ranching communities.

He also noted his opposition to the proposed switching station in Krum.

“I still haven’t been told Krum is a done deal,” he said. “And maybe they won’t [build it], since we’re opposing all routes in Denton County.”

BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is blewis@dentonrc.com .