More than three dozen legislators in Texas are bucking a major transmission line project proposed for central Texas.
Forty-three Texas state lawmakers have signed a legal brief asking the Public Utility Commission of Texas to further review the proposed 765-kilovolt transmission line projects including a controversial Bell County East to Big Hill project opposed by landowners in the central part of the state.
The Utility Commission is holding administrative hearings on the project that has become a source of controversy. It is a nearly 200-mile project proposed by Oncor and LCRA Transmission Services Corporation. The firms contend the line is needed to strengthen the state’s power grid and also support future energy demands.
Landowners and other opponents argue it will impact private property owners, schools, public lands and also environmentally sensitive areas, according to KCEN TV News based in Waco. The opposition among legislators is led by Rep. Brad Buckley who argues the project has expanded far beyond its original intention.
“What began as a small regional transmission project to energize the Permian Basin has literally become a statewide transmission plan that was not authorized by the Legislature,” Buckley said.
According to Buckley, the lawmakers’ filing supports a request that regulators pause the process and require project developers to further demonstrate the need for the transmission lines before any final decisions are made.
“Pause this project, make the applicants prove the need for the project and then let’s get it in alignment with our electrical generation needs,” Buckley said, adding the transmission buildout could cost ratepayers billions of dollars and affect thousands of property owners.
Another legislator, Rep. Hillary Hickland said the concerns of residents are driving the opposition.
“There are so many residents who have land that will be impacted by this project, and we’re hearing overwhelmingly against it,” Hickland said. “For a project this big, we really need legislative guidance and oversight. That’s what we’re pushing for.”
The filing does not stop the ongoing administrative hearings or halt the project. Instead, it serves as a formal request urging regulators to take additional time to evaluate the need for the proposed transmission lines and consider alternatives before making long-term decisions, reported KCEN.