765kV Hearing / By Dave Clark
On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, the Senate Business & Commerce Committee completed their Hearing on the Texas Electric Grid and 765kV transmission lines. The marathon hearing lasted 15 hours and 24 minutes, from 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, until 12:24 a.m. Thursday.
On Friday morning, July 31, 2026, Lt. Gov. Patrick and Chairman Schwertner issued statements on Facebook and X that called on the PUC to deny all the pending 765kV transmission line applications based on the results of Wednesday's Hearing.
Senate Leadership
Calls to Deny 765kV
Applications
Lt. Gov. Patrick said, '...support for ERCOT's 765-kV transmission plan should not come at the expense of private property rights.' Referring to landowner public testimony at the Hearing, Lt Gov Patrick said, 'Hour after hour, witness after witness testified they did not have adequate notice and have no idea where the lines are going because of constant route changes.'
Chairman Schwertner, Chair of the Senate Business & Commerce Committee said: 'Testimony from property owners and their representatives highlighted significant concerns regarding the certificate of convenience and necessity process (CCN), including the lack of proper notice from utilities, shortened timelines for Public Utility Commission (PUC) proceedings, and due process at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. These concerns demonstrate the need for a complete overhaul of the CCN process before these applications can advance.'
Lt. Gov. Patrick concluded his statement by saying: 'If these lines are going to be built, which many believe must be built, then the PUC's transmission approval process must not only prioritize strengthening the grid, but also protect Texas landowners and communities. During the 90th Legislative Session beginning in January 2027, the Texas Senate will prioritize addressing this issue.'
Landowner Public Testimony The Senators on the Business & Commerce Committee listened to 5 hours of heart wrenching testimony from 207 landowners that registered for public testimony about the impact the proposed 765kV transmission lines will have on their land and their families. Public testimony started at 7:00 p.m. following 10 hours of invited testimony. Each witness was only allowed two minutes, but landowners were prepared, efficient with their time, and their excellent testimony caught the attention of the Senators on the Committee.
Landowners described the challenges and emotional distress they encountered with the PUC CCN application and SOAH contested case processes...most notably the compressed, high pressure 180-day timeline, which only allows 90 days for landowners to defend their properties. Senators on the Committee acknowledged legislation that reduced the timeline from 365days to 180-days, was a mistake and needed to be reversed. In his closing comments, Vice Chair Phil King said, 'This process has been a mess.'
Many landowners and some Senators on the Committee called on the PUC to delay any final decisions about any of the 765kV applications until the Legislature can determine the proper regulatory processes for these massive transmission lines. Senator Jose Menendez, (D) San Antonio, said in his closing comments 'I've come out of this thinking that we should look for ways to step in, to slow this process down, [and find ways] to give people due process.'
McCulloch County Judge Frank Trull, the four McCulloch County Commissioners, and County Attorney Greg Torres attended the Hearing after arriving at the Capitol at 7:00 a.m. Greg Torres provided public testimony on behalf of the Mc-Culloch County Commissioners Court about the concerns of McCulloch County landowners with the regulatory processes impacting private property rights, concerns about further damage to county roads following the July 2025 floods and concerns about community values including agriculture and hunting, which are the industries that drive the economy of McCulloch County.
Twenty members of Friends of the San Saba (FOSS) traveled to Austin for the Hearing and 10 members provided public testimony. Our FOSS members testimony included detailed comments about the impact of the 765kV lines on members' properties, and detailed discussion about problems and solutions with the PUC CCN application and SOAH contested case processes. Jim Scott, the routing expert FOSS has worked with since February, explained best practices routing methodology that includes landowner involvement and determination of the best route corridors before specific route links are determined. This is a complex topic to explain in two minutes, but Jim has met with a lot of legislators and their staff over the last several months, including three Senators on the Business & Commerce Committee.
Tanya Tucker
The first landowner witness during public testimony for 765kV transmission lines was country music star Tanya Tucker. Ms. Tucker is a landowner and resident in Burnet County, and her property is impacted by the Bell County East to Big Hill 765kV transmission line. Chairman Schwertner was surprised when he read Ms. Tucker's name. Ms. Tucker talked about her property, which she referred to as '...her little piece of Texas heaven.' and her concern about 765kV lines that would cross her property changing her landscape forever. She said she is mad about how the 765kV lines have been handled, saying 'This isn't the way we do things in Texas.' At the end of her testimony, Ms. Tucker sang the chorus from her song 'Texas (When I die)' and then said 'God Bless Texas'.
'When I die I may not go to heaven...just let me go to Texas...'Cause Texas is as close as I've been.' Tanya Tucker
Additional Statements below Lt Gov Patrick's Statement (bolded text added):
'Over the last several years, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utility Commission (PUC) have studied the current and future power needs of Texas. Huge (new to Texas) 765-kV transmission lines to increase power around the state are a part of their plan.
Unfortunately, neither the PUC nor ERCOT have followed through with a plan that is supported by the vast majority of Texas landowners. The PUC and ERCOT both acknowledged as much during an over 15- hour Senate Business and Commerce Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Hour after hour, witness after witness testified they did not have adequate notice and have no idea where the lines are going because of constant route changes. They also accused ERCOT, the PUC, and the transmission companies of rushing through the process that could significantly affect the use of their land. It’s clear the overwhelming number of witnesses in rural Texas are not supportive of the current process. They want it paused. Some want it stopped entirely.
Everyone agrees Texas needs the transmission necessary to meet the growing needs of the state. However, support for ERCOT’s 765-kV transmission plan should not come at the expense of private property rights.
I agree with Chairman Schwertner in calling on the PUC to deny the pending applications for 765-kV transmission lines, and not consider re-applications, until the transmission companies can address the serious concerns raised by landowners at Wednesday’s hearing.
The testimony made it abundantly clear the current process being utilized by the PUC for proposing and approving transmission lines is broken and must be reformed.
If these lines are going to be built, which many believe must be built, then the PUC’s transmission approval process must not only prioritize strengthening the grid, but also protect Texas landowners and communities.
During the 90th Legislative Session beginning in January 2027, the Texas Senate will prioritize addressing this issue. Below is a statement released today by Senate Business and Commerce Committee Chairman Charles Schwertner, who oversees this issue.'
Chairman Schwertner's Statement:
'After hearing hours of testimony from Texas landowners in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, one thing is clear: landowners deserve a fair and transparent CCN process. Texans' property rights must be protected.'
Statement from Chairman Charles Schwertner
Senator Schwertner came away from Transmission Line Hearings with this message: After hearing hours of testimony from Texas landowners in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, one thing is clear: landowners deserve a fair and transparent CCN process. Texans’ property rights must be protected.
This is his written statement: July 31, 2026
This week, the Senate Business and Commerce Committee held a 15-hour hearing to examine the state of Texas’ electricity market and the proposed 765kV ultra-high voltage transmission lines intended to support local growth in West Texas.
Testimony from property owners and their representatives highlighted significant concerns regarding the certificate of convenience and necessity process (CCN), including the lack of proper notice from utilities, shortened timelines for Public Utility Commission (PUC) proceedings, and due process at the State Sffice of Administrative Hearings. These concerns demonstrate the need for a complete overhaul of the CCN process before these applications can advance.
Accordingly, I am calling on the PUC to deny the existing CCN applications. Any reapplications need to take into consideration the concerns raised during our hearing. The legislature will reform the CCN process next session to ensure future projects are fair and transparent.