Oncor hosts Sweetwater open house on transmission line issues

SWEETWATER, Texas () – Hundreds of residents from the Big Country gathered in Sweetwater on Tuesday for the second of three open house events hosted by Oncor. The purpose of these events is to address questions and assess community concerns regarding a proposed large-scale transmission line that is planned for construction across an eight-county area of the state. While multiple routes for the transmission line have been proposed, one option would pass directly through the heart of the Big Country.
This project dates back to 2023, when Governor Abbott signed Texas House Bill 5066. The bill was designed to address the state's increasing energy demands, with a specific focus on expanding the reliable transmission of electricity to areas expected to require more power in the coming years.
HB 5066 requires the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to develop a 'Reliability Plan for regions experiencing rapid electrical load growth.' The bill specifically identifies the Permian Basin as one of the areas that needs such a reliability plan. ERCOT submitted the plan for the Permian Basin on July 25, 2024, and it was subsequently approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).
MAP: Large transmission line could cut through Big Country, public meetings taking place
This project is larger than those previously seen in the state, and PUCT calls its approval a 'landmark decision'. 'It would see the 'Dinosaur' switch near Glen Rose connected to the 'Longshore' switch just west of Forsan through the use of 'extra high voltage' transmission lines. It would be the first of its kind to be built in the ERCOT region.
According to Oncor, the 765 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines would run approximately 235-270 miles long, depending on the route chosen.
In response to the question of why extra high-voltage lines are used over others, PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson stated in a news release on April 24, 'Extra high-voltage lines are more efficient and strengthen reliability. Because each line can carry more power, fewer lines are necessary to serve the needs of the Permian Basin Region, meaning less disruption to Texas landowners, natural habitats, and landscapes. Our priority now is ensuring utilities execute these projects quickly and at the lowest possible cost to Texas consumers.'
Although the use of larger capacity power lines would take up less overall space, residents like Randyll and Gail Baker of Tuscola, whose home is located on property that a potential line would pass through, strongly oppose the construction of such large towers in their neighborhood.
'The people that moved out to Tuscola area wanted it for that good family living. To have that size of a tower come through a neighborhood, that's a concern,' said Gail.
'It would definitely be, in our view. I built our house facing the northeast for the view of Cedar Gap, and it's gonna go right through there,' Randyll added.
The Bakers shared their concerns with many online. Some residents of Buffalo Gap have organized to oppose the route, which would affect the area's natural beauty.
'It's not gonna be a single little line. It'll be a row of towers and clearing out a lot of land. And Buffalo Gap's a beautiful area, so it would be a shame if they routed it through some of the prettier areas,' said Tuscola resident Mark Burkett.
But concerns aren't purely visual. Both the Bakers and Burkett voice displeasure with the potential impact on their property value if the line is constructed along the Buffalo Gap route.
'Our big concerns are: how is that gonna impact the value of our property? I assume there will be compensation, but I also doubt the compensation would compensate you adequately for the loss of value,' Burkett said
KTAB/KRBC discussed these concerns with Oncor Senior Media Relations Specialist Roxana Rubio, who says PUCT will consider them all. The purpose of the open house events is to gather community input to guide PUCT's decision.
'We really appreciate hearing from our customers… Any time that we build a new transmission, a new transmission line, no matter the voltage, we follow a very thorough process. Part of that process is to make sure that we're engaging with the local communities,' said Rubio.
At the Sweetwater event, residents not only had their questions answered but also filled out forms to detail their concerns and express their feelings about the proposed routes.
'So that information will be submitted to the PUCT, and the potential routes will ultimately be submitted to the PUCT, who will have their own community input before determining which route we should begin construction on,' Rubio said.
The next Oncor open house is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4. It will be held in Stephenville at the Cross Timbers Legacy Center, 830 S. Graham Avenue, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The event is open to the public.
The Oncor website has more information on the 'Dinosaur-Longshore' project and downloadable forms for public participation and outreach.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New York Post

6 hours ago

• New York Post

New Texas law will require Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom

Texas will require all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments under a new law that will make the state the nation's largest to attempt to impose such a mandate. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday that he signed the bill, which is expected to draw a legal challenge from critics who consider it an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state. A similar law in Louisiana was blocked when a federal appeals court ruled Friday that it was unconstitutional. Arkansas also has a similar law that has been challenged in federal court. Advertisement 4 Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday that he signed the bill, which is expected to draw a legal challenge from critics. James Breeden for the NY Post The Texas measure easily passed in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate in the legislative session that ended June 2. 'The focus of this bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially,' Republican state representative Candy Noble, a co-sponsor of the bill, said when it passed the House. Advertisement Abbott also signed a bill that allows school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours. 4 The Texas measure easily passed in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate in the legislative session that ended June 2. AP The Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Texas' law requires public schools to post in classrooms a 16-by-20-inch (41-by-51-centimeter) poster or framed copy of a specific English version of the commandments, even though translations and interpretations vary across denominations, faiths and languages and may differ in homes and houses of worship. Advertisement 4 The Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Supporters say the Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of the United States' judicial and educational systems and should be displayed. Opponents, including some Christian and other faith leaders, say the Ten Commandments and prayer measures infringe on others' religious freedom. A letter signed this year by dozens of Christian and Jewish faith leaders opposing the bill noted that Texas has thousands of students of other faiths who might have no connection to the Ten Commandments. Texas has nearly 6 million students in about 9,100 public schools. Advertisement 4 Opponents, including some Christians, say the Ten Commandments and prayer measures infringe on others' religious freedom. AP In 2005, Abbott, who was state attorney general at the time, successfully argued before the Supreme Court that Texas could keep a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of its Capitol. Louisiana's law has twice been ruled unconstitutional by federal courts, first by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles and then again by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which also considers cases from Texas. State Attorney General Liz Murrell said she would appeal and pledged to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

Forbes

13 hours ago

• Forbes

Gov. Greg Abbott Signs SB 6 To Improve Texas Grid Reliability

AUSTIN, TX - JUNE 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a press conference where he signed ... More Senate Bills 2 and 3 at the Capitol on June 8, 2021 in Austin, Texas. Governor Abbott signed the bills into law to reform the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and weatherize and improve the reliability of the state's power grid. The bill signing comes months after a disastrous February winter storm that caused widespread power outages and left dozens of Texans dead. (Photo by) Concerns that the Texas power grid, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), could soon begin to groan under the weight of surging demand, led the Texas Legislature to pass Senate Bill 6 (SB 6) in the 2025 session. Signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday, this bill is an aggressive attempt to shore up reliability on the Texas grid while making large-load customers bear a fair share of the cost. Texas has always prided itself on doing things big, including maintaining its status as a national energy powerhouse. From leading the shale oil and gas boom, to supporting state-of-the-art ports moving the lion's share of U.S. crude and LNG exports, to leading the nation in both wind and solar generating capacity, Texas has fueled America's growth while taking a different path than other large population states like California, New York, and Florida. SB 6 is a legislative balancing act designed to ensure Texas continues to play a leading national role in hosting the nation's rapidly expanding AI industry and its associated datacenters while simultaneously achieving a higher level of grid reliability and energy security. Authored by Senator Charles Schwertner and championed by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, SB 6 targets one of the elephants in the room: massive electricity consumers, defined as those with loads of 75 megawatts or more. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick delivers remarks at the Safer Houston Summit before Gov. Greg Abbott signs ... More Senate Bill 6, named the Damon Allen Act in memory of a state trooper who was murdered by an individual out on bond in 2017, into law Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, at Bayou Events Center in Houston. Rep. Reggie Smith, and Kasey Allen, widow of state trooper Damon Allen, were present at the signing. (Photo by Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) In addition to high tech datacenters, the bill's provisions will also impact operations like cryptocurrency mining centers and heavy industrial plants. Such industrial giants have flocked to Texas in recent years to take advantage of comparatively cheap electricity and a business-friendly policy structure. But the Texas grid has at the same time shown clear signs of struggling to maintain reliability amid a rapid economic and population expansion, and recent projections by ERCOT of massive demand growth over the coming decade motivated the legislature to take proactive action. This is a welcome change from past episodes that saw policymakers taking action only after disaster had struck, as was the case with Winter Storm Uri, which devastated the state in February 2021 following a decade of failure to act to address well-known weaknesses in the grid. How SB 6 Improves Texas Grid Reliability The bill signed by Gov. Abbott mandates that large-load customers register with ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission (PUC), provide backup generation (like on-site gas or diesel generators), and shoulder new transmission fees to fund grid upgrades. The new law also greenlights proprietary, behind-the-meter power generation for these facilities, reducing their draw on the grid. Such generation will consist mainly of natural gas plants in the near term, with aspirations for more nuclear generation in the longer term. SB 6 also gives ERCOT enhanced tools for large load forecasting, enabling both ERCOT and the PUC to review large load projects which involve taking existing generation off the grid. It establishes a process for curtailing large loads before residential and small business customers during emergency situations, a key step that would require backups for large load customers and thus let ERCOT curtail the load during emergencies without centers powering down. The legislature also tossed in a provision which lets water and sewer corporations generate power in hopes of enhancing rural resilience. 'Texas is open for business, but we won't let unchecked growth crash our grid,' Lt. Gov. Patrick declared when he unveiled his 40 priority bills for the 2025 session in March, with SB 6 near the top. His point is hard to argue with: ERCOT projected in April that Texas power demand will double by 2030, to as high as 208,000 megawatts, driven largely by data centers and industrial loads. A Pillsbury Law analysis notes that 'SB 6 ensures large-load customers contribute to the infrastructure they rely on, protecting residential ratepayers from footing the bill.' The math is compelling: Data centers alone could account for 20% of ERCOT's peak load by 2030. Without proactive policy intervention like SB 6, the grid would be at higher blackout risk during major weather events. The Outlook Ahead For The Texas Grid The legislature's embrace of behind-the-meter natural gas and nuclear power is a pragmatic nod to both the need to enhance reliability and to the state's resource abundance. Texas ranks as far and away the largest natural gas producing state in the country. A recent study published by the Environmental Integrity Project reports that the state is in the early stages of a significant gas plant boom, with at least 130 projects either already in the queue or in the planning stage. Altogether, the plants would combine for 58 gigawatts of new 24/7 power generation. Nuclear appears poised for a national comeback spurred by rising public confidence and favorability and by the rapidly shifting energy policy direction under the Trump administration. Last week, the Department of Energy led by Secretary Chris Wright rolled out a new initiative to reform the system for nuclear reactor testing and spur development of new generation reactors on the site of the DOE National Labs. Critics will no doubt argue that Texas policymakers should encourage big new industrial power users to focus on wind and solar for their behind-the-meter generation. But, as I've detailed here in prior pieces, a consensus has formed among the big datacenter developers that renewables alone can't handle the 24/7 demands of data centers, and SB 6's critics consistently ignore that wind and solar lean on gas peaking plants when lack of wind, bad weather and the setting sun render them dormant. The bill's supporters argue that SB 6 is less about ideology and more about fairness, centered on the principle that residential customers shouldn't subsidize grid upgrades for tech giants. As Schwertner put it during Senate debates, 'This bill ensures those who strain the system invest in its stability.' All in all, SB 6 represents a straightforward move by Texas policymakers to ensure that ERCOT and the PUC have the appropriate tools to incorporate large loads onto the grid and ensure minimal risk from a cost and reliability standpoint while maintaining the state's ability to lead the country in the kinds of large industrial power users. It is a pro-market, pro-development, proactive approach to high-grading the Texas grid, a welcome change from the reactive, disaster-driven processes of the past.

Politico

a day ago

• Politico

New Texas law requires 10 Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas will require all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments under a new law that will make the state the nation's largest to attempt to impose such a mandate. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday that he signed the bill, which is expected to draw a legal challenge from critics who consider it an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state. A similar law in Louisiana was blocked when a federal appeals court ruled Friday that it was unconstitutional. Arkansas also has a similar law that has been challenged in federal court. The Texas measure easily passed in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate in the legislative session that ended June 2. 'The focus of this bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially,' Republican state representative Candy Noble, a co-sponsor of the bill, said when it passed the House. Abbott also signed a bill that allows school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours. The Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Texas' law requires public schools to post in classrooms a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed copy of a specific English version of the commandments, even though translations and interpretations vary across denominations, faiths and languages and may differ in homes and houses of worship. Supporters say the Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of the United States' judicial and educational systems and should be displayed. Opponents, including some Christian and other faith leaders, say the Ten Commandments and prayer measures infringe on others' religious freedom. A letter signed this year by dozens of Christian and Jewish faith leaders opposing the bill noted that Texas has thousands of students of other faiths who might have no connection to the Ten Commandments. Texas has nearly 6 million students in about 9,100 public schools. In 2005, Abbott, who was state attorney general at the time, successfully argued before the Supreme Court that Texas could keep a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of its Capitol. Louisiana's law has twice been ruled unconstitutional by federal courts, first by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles and then again by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which also considers cases from Texas. State Attorney General Liz Murrell said she would appeal and pledged to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.