The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) voted unanimously to pause its review of the first of five high-voltage transmission line segments planned for the Permian Basin. During an open meeting, commissioners voted to abate the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity application for the Longshore Switch to Drill Hole Switch line, citing concerns over public notification and compressed statutory timelines.
A commission spokesperson confirmed that the proceeding will remain suspended until administrative law judges at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) issue a formal proposal on a separate segment, the Dinosaur to Longshore line.
The proposed 160-mile line, developed by Oncor Electric Delivery Company, is designed to span from west of Forsan in Howard County to the border of Culberson and Reeves counties. The infrastructure forms the western leg of a broader transmission rollout whose collective lifecycle costs are projected by economic analyses to approach $100 billion.
The regulatory pause matches recent requests from rural landowner groups and state legislators who have questioned the speed of the approval process. The abatement occurred one day before the commission’s scheduled June 18 vote on the central transmission segment, the Bell County East to Big Hill transmission line.
The administrative delay indicates that utility commissioners are weighing the procedural objections raised by residents, property-rights organizations, and state lawmakers regarding the rapid pace of the grid build-out.
Elena Folgueras, an attorney representing the American Stewards of Liberty, stated to commissioners that a central question remains regarding whether the regional grid requires large-scale power imports over long distances or if localized electricity generation could fulfill the capacity needs. The organization, alongside a coalition of 43 Texas legislators, has petitioned the PUCT to defer final determinations of need for individual line segments until the regulatory evaluations for all five proposed segments conclude.
PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson stated that abating the case represents the most appropriate course of action. Gleeson noted that the commission should wait for the Dinosaur to Longshore case to be remanded from administrative law judges before rendering a final decision on the Longshore to Drill Hole segment. He added that the PUCT intends to provide formal recommendations to the Texas Legislature to address procedural issues identified during the review process.
Oncor legal counsel Jaren Taylor argued against delaying the proceeding, stating that an administrative pause would increase total project costs. Taylor characterized the mandatory 180-day regulatory decision window—established by the passage of House Bill 5066 in 2023—as an intentionally compressed timeline.
Brad Bayliff, an attorney representing the intervenor Roye Boys Partnership, stated to commissioners that the existing administrative process is broken. Bayliff noted that intervenors in a related utility hearing were allocated only 13 minutes to cross-examine a panel of eight witnesses. Following the vote, Oncor spokesperson Andrew Clark stated that the utility provider appreciates the commissioners’ review of the infrastructure project and will continue navigating the state’s regulatory framework.
Subsequent tracking will monitor the PUCT’s scheduled action regarding the Bell County East to Big Hill segment under Docket Number 59475. Key indicators include the timeline for the State Office of Administrative Hearings recommendation on the Dinosaur to Longshore line, whether commissioners formally evaluate the omnibus petition to defer all segment needs, and the specific statutory modifications Gleeson submits to state lawmakers ahead of the next legislative session.
Today, PUCT Commissioners will take up the central Bell County East to Big Hill segment where commissioners will decide whether to formally approve the route or extend the pause to this segment.