State Sen. Pete Flores, whose district includes Bandera County, has joined a growing number of Texas leaders calling on state regulators to reject the current applications for proposed 765-kilovolt transmission lines and require utilities to restart the routing process.
In a statement released July 31, Flores announced his support for Senate Business and Commerce Committee Chairman Charles Schwertner's request that the Public Utility Commission of Texas deny the existing Certificate of Convenience and Necessity applications for the proposed ultra- high-voltage transmission lines.
'Senator Pete Flores announces his total support of Chairman Schwertner's request for the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to deny the existing CCN applications on proposed 765kV ultra-high transmission lines,' the statement said. 'I agree that reapplications need to take the concerns raised during the recent Senate Business & Commerce hearing and I look forward to working on reforming the process during the next Legislative session.'
The announcement follows a 15-hour Senate committee hearing July 29, where more than 150 landowners, public officials and industry representatives testified about the state's $33 billion transmission expansion plan.
Following the hearing, Schwertner and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on the PUC to deny the pending applications and revisit the approval process during the 2027 legislative session.
Patrick said Texans support reliable electric service but should not have to sacrifice private property rights under the current process.
The Howard-Solstice line, which would cross portions of Bandera county, is one of three proposed 765-kilovolt transmission lines included in the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan.
Officials say the lines are intended to strengthen the state's electric grid and move additional power to meet growing demand in West Texas, particularly from the oil and gas industry and anticipated growth in data centers.
Grid officials have maintained the lines are needed to avoid future reliability problems and potential power shortages. ERCOT officials testified that without additional transmission capacity, portions of West Texas could face reliability concerns as early as next year.
Landowners and local officials, however, have argued the project would permanently affect ranches, wildlife habitat and the Hill Country landscape while raising concerns about the use of eminent domain.
Flores has previously voiced those concerns.
In a May 5 letter to PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson and commissioners regarding the Howard-Solstice project, the senator acknowledged the need for a reliable electric grid but urged regulators to pursue the least intrusive route possible.
'The people in the affected counties deserve a serious explanation for why this line has to go where it is proposed to go,' Flores wrote.
He also noted Bandera County commissioners had unanimously opposed the project, citing concerns about endangered species, conservation easements, tourism and the local ecosystem.
Flores also said uncertainty surrounding potential easements and property impacts had created hardship for landowners.
'I urge the Commission to require a hard look at alternative routes and to insist on the least intrusive path possible if the project moves forward at all,' Flores wrote. 'The state can work to improve reliability without dismissing the rights of the people who will have to live with the result.'
The PUC is expected to decide whether to approve the Howard-Solstice transmission line later this month.
The commission previously delayed action on the project while considering related transmission proposals across Texas.
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