Texas lawmakers push pause on giant power lines amid landowner concerns

Texas lawmakers are pressuring regulators to pause and overhaul the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, a proposed build-out of three 765-kV transmission lines to deliver electricity to West Texas oil fields. They say the current PUC permitting process is broken, raises private-property-rights concerns, lacks adequate notice, and carries an estimated $33 billion cost, prompting calls for reform before approval. Proponents say the lines are needed for grid reliability, while critics demand a thorough process review after a lengthy hearing that highlighted broad landowner opposition; Oncor and some industry voices caution that construction should proceed to meet growing energy needs.