Texas lawmakers push to halt high‑voltage transmission line plan

The Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee held a 15‑hour hearing in Austin where roughly 100 landowners and other stakeholders testified against the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, a proposal to build three 765 kV ultra‑high‑voltage transmission lines stretching from East to West Texas to serve the state's oil‑field demand.

State Sen. Charles Schwertner, chair of the committee, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on the Public Utility Commission of Texas to reject all existing certificate‑of‑convenience‑and‑necessity applications and to overhaul the approval process. They cited inadequate notice, rushed timelines, and past ERCOT and PUC failures during Winter Storm Uri and Hurricane Beryl. Lawmakers plan to address the process in the 2025 legislative session.