Administrative law judges denied a motion by landowners seeking to extend the decision-making process for a proposed extra-high-voltage transmission line. The landowners alleged that they weren’t notified of proposed routes coming in proximity to their land.
This is in regards to the administrative law hearing scheduled the week of June 8 on the proposed Bell County East to Big Hill extra‑high‑voltage transmission project, named for the substations it would connect. Spanning about 199 miles, this segment covers the area from just north of Austin to south of San Angelo. This line, together with the Big Hill to Sand Lake segment from south of San Angelo to Pecos, forms the central 765‑kV import path—one of three proposed extra‑high‑voltage import paths designed to move large amounts of power across Texas into the energy-rich Permian Basin.
Critics have likened this to “hauling water to the ocean” and argued that the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) transformed a regional reliability directive into a de facto statewide 765‑kV grid plan without state lawmakers’ authorization.
John Burrow, David and Amy Hillock, and 176 other landowners filed the motion for immediate remedy and relief on May 26. They alleged that Oncor and the Lower Colorado River Authority—the developers of the Bell County East to Big Hill line—added roughly 400 miles of new transmission route links after a June 2025 public meeting.
According to the landowners, the alteration affects about 1,300–1,400 properties and around 2,000 owners who never got invited into the routing discussion until after the companies filed their March 26 application for state permission to build the line.
This is known as a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN).
These landowners alleged that the companies used outdated county tax rolls when mailing notices with their filing. This, the landowners claim, resulted in many current owners being omitted from the notice list.
The Hillocks, who bought their land in November 2025, state they never received notice even though the appraisal district tax rolls had been updated. David Hillock says he called Oncor’s Jerry McConnell on April 10, 2026, to report that he owned directly affected property but had not been notified.
The motion requested that administrative law judges grant a day‑for‑day extension of the procedural schedules to compensate landowners who were not timely notified. That would mean 206 days for about 1,300–1,400 affected properties and 64 days for the Hillocks. The motion requested that both extensions run concurrently, and asked for a pause of hearings while the motion and any appeal are resolved.
On June 1, administrative law judges Cassandra Quinn, Linda Brite, Dee Marlo Chico, and Linda J. Burgess denied the motion. “This matter is subject to the 180-day deadline of Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA) section 37.057, so extension of the procedural schedule is not feasible. Mr. Burrow also did not identify any statute or rule regarding notice that Applicants failed to comply with.”
In 2023, state lawmakers cut PUCT’s timeline for most new transmission line approvals from one year to 180 days.
In a statement to Texas Scorecard, Oncor spokesman Andrew Clark wrote that “Oncor and LCRA TSC complied with all state laws and regulations when providing landowner notice for this project, and in several ways exceeded those requirements.” The full statement includes copies of its published application and meeting notices.
LCRA stated that “as we said earlier, Oncor and LCRA TSC have complied with all applicable rules and regulations throughout this process, including all landowner notifications.”
Landowner Kevin Kennedy, who has been helping others fight to defend their property, criticized the entire process. “Texas landowners believe the PUC process for the PBRP 765-kV transmission lines has failed to provide notice, transparency, and due process protections required under Texas statutes,” he wrote in a press release announcing the filing.
The next administrative law hearing will be on the Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kV transmission line. It is scheduled for the week of June 8 before the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Citizens may watch a livestream of the hearing through the SOAH YouTube channel.
Administrative law judges will make recommendations from these hearings to the five commissioners of the Public Utility Commission—all Gov. Greg Abbott appointees—who make the final decision. Kennedy told Texas Scorecard that Burrow is appealing this decision to the commission.
If you are a citizen with information regarding bureaucratic overreach, please email scorecardtips@protonmail.com.
