Texas House committee and PUCT chairman call for meetings to address 765 kV transmission line
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Texas officials and lawmakers have been publicly questioning the validity of a controversial state transmission line project and the processes that led to its proposal. The chairman of the commission that is responsible for approving the 765 kilovolt project and a Texas House of Representatives committee have each separately called for meetings to evaluate the plan.
The Texas House Committee on State Affairs will meet at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, to “Review the regulatory and planning processes regarding the proposed 765-kV transmission lines,” reads a statement issued by the committee’s chair, Rep. Ken King.
The chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Thomas Gleeson, also called for a meeting, to be held on Aug. 14, with other PUCT commissioners and representatives from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to discuss the transmission project.
“I requested this open meeting because I want to discuss policy issues with my fellow Commissioners and ERCOT related to the development and implementation of the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, including the three 765-kilovolt (kV) import paths required under that plan.”
The Bell County East to Big Hill 765 kV Transmission Project is a proposed 200-plus mile transmission line that would run from Temple to Schleicher County, passing through Burnet County along the way and potentially impacting every landowner in its path. This is just one of the three “import paths” that Gleeson was referring to.
Read more on the background of this project, how it came to be, and how it could impact Burnet County in the March 27, 2026, DailyTrib story “The countdown starts: 30 days to file intervention/protest in state transmission line project”
Residents along the proposed routes have expressed extreme concern since they were first made public in 2025, culminating in dozens of protesters speaking at the Texas Capitol on July 29 during a hearing of the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce. Chairman Gleeson was present, and provided his own testimony in regards to the 765 kV project.
Shortly after that meeting, the chairman of the Senate committee, Charles Schwertner, called for a complete halt to project, requesting that the PUCT reject the proposed transmission lines and to allow for the Texas legislature to reevaluate the processes that led to their approval when the next legislative session begins in 2027.
Schwertner was joined by several other legislators and state officials after releasing his statement, including Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, House District 19 Rep. Ellen Troxclair, and Senate District 24 Sen. Pete Flores.
Texas House Committee on State Affairs public hearing
The committee’s hearing is at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the John H. Reagan Building, 1400 Congress Avenue, in Austin.
Texas residents who wish to electronically submit comments related to agenda items on this notice without testifying in person can do so until the hearing is adjourned by visiting this link.
In-person public testimony is limited to two minutes per speaker and the number of speakers may be limited by the chair of the committee. Registration to speak will close by 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
The hearing will also be livestreamed at this link.
Learn more about registering to speak and participate at this link.
PUCT commissioner memorandum
Gleeson’s requested Aug. 14 meeting is not a public hearing, but the chairman did make notice of it publicly available through the PUCT’s interchange system.
“The purpose of this meeting is not to discuss facts or circumstances specific to any individual transmission line proceeding,” reads Gleeson’s memo. “No final decisions will be made regarding any individual transmission line at this open meeting. Before the Commission can make a final decision in each case, a proposal for decision must properly be before the Commission for consideration at a future open meeting and the parties in each case have an opportunity to present oral argument to the Commission.”
View the full memorandum at this link.
As of Friday, Aug. 7, there have been 6,340 filings submitted on the PUCT’s interchange for docket number 59475 regarding the applications of Oncor Electric Delivery and the Lower Colorado River Authority to build out the full 765 kV transmission project on behalf of the state.