Texas Scorecard by Robert Montoya March 27, 2026
The saga of the Public Utility Commission’s power grab continues.At a recent state hearing, dozens of parties, including landowners, contested electricity delivery company Oncor’s request to build an Extra-High-Voltage transmission line in the Permian Basin. Transcripts from the hearing reveal concerns by specialists about the project’s risk to oil pipelines and its costs.
Lawmakers originally authorized the project as a limited fix for a specific region, but the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) expanded the project into a broad new build‑out. The state agencies involved in the process expanded the project beyond its limits with minimal public input. Aside from Texans being burdened by increased costs, the expansion could lead to other large projects being launched with little direct accountability.
The hearing was held from March 2 to 4 at the State Office of Administrative Hearings before three administrative law judges: Amy Davis, Andrew Lutostanski, and presiding ALJ Cassandra Quinn.
This proposed transmission line would be 765kV Extra-High-Voltage, running into the Permian Basin area. According to testimony in the transcript, it would run roughly 180 miles, depending on which one of the more than 20 possible routes Oncor picks. Corin Cooley, an Oncor engineer and one of its witnesses, admitted during cross-examination that Oncor has no experience constructing a 765-kV line.
Despite this, Cooley stated at the hearing that an assessment of the project having “no adverse impacts” on oil and gas pipelines was based on Oncor’s prior experience with transmission lines in the Permian Basin.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texans-face-33-billion-power-grab-as-oncor-pushes-permian-line/
