Texas Scorecard by Robert Montoya June 8, 2026
Timeline state lawmakers created favors utility companies and the commission, but not landowners. Texas’ Public Utility Commission will hear an appeal of administrative law judges’ decision to deny a hearing on whether electricity transmission service providers have proposed enough adequate routes for a 765-kV transmission line. After the commission’s decision, landowners asked the judges for a pause on this week’s hearing, but the request was denied.
The deliberation for the pause highlighted the bias against landowners in the timeline state lawmakers put in place for these types of projects.
This is in regard to the administrative law hearing this week on the proposed Bell County East to Big Hill extra‑high‑voltage transmission project, named for the substations it would connect. Spanning about 199 miles, this segment covers the area from just north of Austin to south of San Angelo. This line, together with the Big Hill to Sand Lake segment from south of San Angelo to Pecos, forms the central 765‑kV import path—one of three proposed extra‑high‑voltage import paths designed to move large amounts of power across Texas into the energy-rich Permian Basin.
Critics have argued that the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), and electricity delivery company Oncor transformed a regional reliability directive into a de facto statewide 765‑kV grid plan without state lawmakers’ authorization.
Hours before the June 5 preliminary hearing, Save the Lampasas 25, whose members “own property that may be impacted by one or more of the proposed routes” of the line, and many other intervenors filed a motion seeking a stay of this week’s hearing.
They filed this after the Public Utility Commission’s June 4 decision to hear the group’s appeal of administrative law judges’ May 15 denial of a route adequacy hearing request. The filers argued that utility companies Oncor and Lower Colorado River Authority have not provided enough proposed routes for the transmission line.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/public-utility-commission-to-hear-landowners-appeal-of-controversial-transmission-line/
