Developments Last Week
PUC Defers Decision on Sand Lake to Drill Hole The PUC held an open meeting on Wednesday, June 17th, to consider Oncor's Sand Lake to Drill Hole 765kV Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for a Proposed Transmission Line (CCN) application (Drill Hole). Drill Hole is the west segment of the proposed north Permian Basin 765kV transmission line that includes Dinosaur to Sand Lake (Dinosaur) as the east segment. Drill Hole was the first 765kV CCN application filed in December 2025 and the first of the five 765kV CCN applications to come before the PUC for their decision.
The PUC decided to abate (i.e. defer) their decision on Drill Hole until they consider Dinosaur. The Commissioners concluded that both segments of the North 765kV line may share common questions about the issue of 'need' for the 765kV transmission line. The PUC said they will decide if they should consolidate Drill Hole and Dinosaur when they review Dinosaur.
The PUC’s decision to delay their decision on Drill Hole is very significant. Under current state law, the PUC is required to reach a decision on a CCN application within 180 days. The 180-day deadline for Drill Hole was June 9th, so the PUC is not letting the 180-day statutory deadline determine when they will make their decision. The 180-day deadline for Dinosaur is August 18th.
The Hearing lasted 1 1/2 hours and primarily consisted of oral arguments from Landowner Intervenors and attorneys. The attorneys raised significant concerns about the 180-day statutory deadline to decide CCN applications and about other procedural concerns, including notification. The PUC was interested in the Intervenors' concerns about the impact of the Drill Hole route on their property and by the attorneys' concerns about the 180-day deadline and other procedural concerns.
You can see a recording of the PUC Hearing on the PUC website. Go to https://www. puc.texas.gov/agency/calendar/ broadcasts/ and view the meeting for June 17, 2026. The Drill Hole discussion starts at 20 minutes on the video.
As a result of the PUC's decision to defer Drill Hole, the Big Hill to Sand Lake decision (west segment of the middle 765kV line) could also be deferred until the Bell County East to Big Hill CCN application (Bell County East) is considered by the PUC. The SOAH Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) for both cases already decided to consolidate the issue of 'need' for the middle 765kV transmission line.
Forty-Three Legislators File Amicus Brief American Stewards of Liberty (ASL), an Intervenor in all five 765kV CCN applications, filed a motion on June 5th, in all five cases asking the SOAH ALJs to defer any decisions about 'need' for the five 765kV CCN applications until Bell County East is completed.
Forty-three legislators filed an Amicus Brief supporting the ASL motion on Monday, June 15th. The legislators included 34 representatives who account for 39% of the Republicans in the Texas House, and nine Senators, who are Committee Chairmen, and who account for 45% of the Republicans in the Senate.
In a press release, Rep Brad Buckley said: 'This amicus brief signed by me and my colleagues is a request to pause and ensure the Commission fully evaluates the overall need before moving forward. The scale and cost of these proposed transmission projects warrant a complete and deliberate review before irreversible decisions are made.'
Rep Brad Buckley also said: 'The burden of this project falls disproportionately on rural landowners. Families who have spent generations working, saving, and investing to own a piece of Texas are being asked to bear the impacts of large-scale transmission corridors across their land. These Texans deserve confidence that every alternative has been thoroughly examined and that the project is truly necessary before their property rights are affected.'
Closing Briefs
All parties in Bell County East filed their Initial Briefs (i.e. closing arguments) on Friday, June 19th.
The deadline for Reply Briefs is Friday, June 26th. Reply Briefs are rebuttals to specific arguments or statements other parties make in their Initial Briefs. Reply Briefs are the last opportunity for Intervenors to submit arguments to the SOAH ALJs.
After the Reply Briefs are filed, the SOAH ALJs will review and consider the admitted evidence, testimony, and Closing Briefs in the Bell County East case to reach their decision. The ALJs will issue their Proposal for Decision (PFD) to the PUC around August 18th, and the PUC 180-Day Decision Deadline for the Bell County East CCN application is September 22nd.