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More legislators join transmission line opposition 

05/13/26 | Dakota Morrissiey
Texas state capitol building

Stock image

A collection of 25 Texas legislators submitted a letter on Monday, May 11, to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, all questioning a controversial state transmission line project looming over the Hill Country. This letter comes on the heels of a May 5 letter submitted by a smaller group of state representatives that have been speaking out against the project for months. 

The letter is addressed to the governor-appointed Public Utility Commission of Texas commissioners and their chairman, Thomas Gleeson. The PUCT is in the midst of implementing the Texas 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan, which would send hundreds of miles of high-voltage powerlines across the state to West Texas to satisfy a growing demand in power for that region. 

“As the Texas Legislature prepares to review issues related to energy generation, storage, and transmission ahead of the 90th Legislative Session, it is prudent to pause further progress on this project,” reads the May 11 letter. “Taking time for a fuller policy review and broader public discussion will help ensure that any long-term decisions are informed by a complete understanding of their potential impacts.”

The primary request of the legislators is for a meeting with PUCT leadership to discuss alternatives to the transmission line project and to possibly delay it until the 90th session begins in January 2027.

The project is in the midst of standard PUCT procedure, with the state agency assessing formal protests and interventions from interested parties before it makes a final decision on how to proceed sometime in September.  

The greater 765-kV transmission line project includes three major routes with a combined price tag of $33 billion. One of the primary routes, the Bell County to Big Hill line, would pass directly through Burnet County, bringing large easements, eminent domain purchases, the highest voltage power lines in Texas, and 18-story steel towers every few miles along its route. 

The Bell County to Big Hill project is backed by an order from the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023, which passed House Bill 5066. 

That bill, among other things, mandated that the state develop a power reliability plan for the Permian Basin region of West Texas that would “extend transmission services to areas where mineral resources have been found,” “address increasing available capacity to meet forecasted load,” and “provide available infrastructure to reduce interconnection times in areas without access to transmission service.”

One of the primary criticisms from the legislators of the PUCT’s plan is that it only provides new transmission, and does not address the need for additional power generation.

“It is our concern that increasing transmission capacity without increasing energy generation falls short of the solutions discussed in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri,” reads the letter. “In fact, it was made abundantly clear that Texas needs more dispatchable energy generation and prioritizing transmission of energy produced by renewables does nothing to address a significant problem in the mix of electrical generation we currently have in our state.”

The legislators on the letter are:

House District 19 Rep. Troxclair was one of the five legislators signed on to the May 5 letter addressed to the PUCT. She has been voicing her concerns publicly since at least Jan. 16, when she issued a statement announcing her opposition to the transmission line plans.

Troxclair has continually voiced her agreement that Texas needs more power, but that the answer was not the proposed transmission line project. 

“The proposed transmission lines would primarily move existing electricity across the state without meaningfully increasing the amount of reliable power available to Texans,” reads an excerpt from  a statement she issued on May 12. “Meanwhile, ratepayers will pay billions more to finance that infrastructure without fully solving the real problem: adding energy capacity.”

Background on the Bell County East to Big Hill 765 kV Transmission Line

The Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kV Transmission Project has been on Burnet County’s radar since June 2025. Since then, public opposition and protest has risen and the county has officially taken up opposition to the state project. 

The transmission line project’s intention is to bring power to West Texas, but many Burnet County residents believe that it would be at the expense of Hill Country landowners.

The project was mandated by the Texas Legislature in 2023 through House Bill 5066. The bill aimed to increase the reliability of the Texas electric grid, and also specifically targeted bringing power to the Permian Basin region of West Texas. 

The Public Utility Commission of Texas took on the task, requesting the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to conduct a study on the power needs of the Permian Basin, resulting in the Permian Basin Reliability Study. 

The results of that study showed a massive increase in the projected demand for electricity from that region, mostly to satisfy an estimated addition of 11,695 megawatts to the grid from the non-oil and gas industry. Per ERCOT’s study, this load would be made up of 59 percent cryptocurrency operations, 22 percent “green hydrogen” projects, 13 percent “other” commercial and industrial projects, and 6 percent datacenters. Power would also be used to electrify the petroleum industry in West Texas.

Once ERCOT’s study was completed, the PUCT tasked Oncor Electric Delivery and the Lower Colorado River Authority with devising a plan to deliver more power to the Permian Basin. After months of planning the organizations created a preliminary plan and route for 765 kilovolt powerlines to be run from Central Texas to West Texas. Burnet County was notified of the plans, and the fact that it would likely be included in all possible routes, in May 2025. 

The project, to be paid for by the state, has an estimated total cost of $33 billion, and would include three major lines, including the Bell County East to Big Hill project. 

Read the DailyTrib stories below to learn more:

dakota@thepicayune.com

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