Visitors come from across the country to see the prehistoric dinosaur footprints memorialized in stone at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, but the lush expanse along the Paluxy River may not always have the beautiful, unobstructed view it has now.
Dallas-based Oncor Electric has proposed a new power-line route that would border two sides of Dinosaur Valley with a high-voltage transmission line that's among the highest ever constructed in Texas.
Robert Downen, a senior writer for Texas Monthly, recently wrote about the controversial new powerlines in his story, "The Fight Against Power Lines in the Dinosaur Capital of Texas."
He joined NTX Now's Miranda Suarez to explain what's going on and how the community is pushing back.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the full conversation, click the 'listen' button above.
Power line threat
The proposal for power lines is for outside the park, not inside. Downen explains one of the proposals would circle part of the park, obstructing the view.
"While they would not be in the park itself, one of the big kind of ethos of the park is that you are connecting not just with nature, but really need to be kind of away from civilization," Downen said. "That's really one of the big things that is being at risk here for the park, is it's not just the views. The entire experience really is dependent on having a respite from modernity."
Downen says it is unclear when a decision will be made about the addition of these power lines.
Data center conversation
Downen notes one of the reasons for the addition of power lines is due to the increased need for energy due to data centers.
Residents of Glenn Rose attended a community meeting in June to discuss growing concerns about data centers and population growth.
Downen says residents are worried what the addition of power lines could signal to others.
"They see them as an invitation to data centers to move into the area," he said.
Local economy
When you walk around Glenn Rose, you can find an homage to dinosaurs almost everywhere you look.
Downen says city officials told him on average, each visitor to the park brings approximately $15 a day in local spending to area businesses.
Locals are concerned that a negative change to the park would affect more than just their rural slice of life.
"There's a real threat that this place, that is doing fine economically by many measures, would really face a lot of economic hardship if people started pulling back from going to the park because the experience was changed in any meaningful way," Downen said.
Miranda Suarez is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org.
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