Commission approves easement option with Silver Rock Transmission for proposed 330‑mile high‑voltage line

The commission approved an agreement and option to purchase easements from Silver Rock Transmission LLC for two county-owned parcels, allowing the company to pursue a proposed high-voltage electrical transmission and communications project along the TransWest corridor. Quentin Carr (speaker 19) described the project as roughly 330 miles long and said the engineering is in progress; the company is currently about 62% acquired on the broader corridor. "It's up to y'all because normally what we do is once we know where they go, we go back and re-pay," Carr said, explaining Silver Rock’s process of finalizing costs once engineering is complete.

Commissioner (speaker 6) moved to approve the agreement with the explicit understanding that Silver Rock will pay at least fee-simple value (plus negotiated additions) when the engineering is finished. Commissioners discussed payment structure and asked staff to confirm that county compensation would be at least fee-simple if the easement became permanent. The motion passed on a voice vote recorded as 'Aye.'