Texas Rep. Brad Buckley asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to intervene against the Permian Basin power-line plan. The Public Utility Commission of Texas unanimously approved two of five proposed 765-kilovolt line routes, spanning 400 miles.
Buckley cited Rollins’ comments on a 300-megawatt solar project in upstate New York. Rollins said the project threatened productive farmland, but the USDA was not involved in stopping it. Buckley said the Texas case was similar and urged a pause until lawmakers consider the issue in the 90th Legislature.
The broader plan calls for more than 1,200 miles of lines to carry electricity from east Texas to the Permian Basin. The project is reported to cost $11 billion, with taxpayers and ratepayers expected to bear a large share; landowners have received mailers saying eminent domain will be used to take their land. The Texas Public Policy Foundation separately argues the lines would cost $100 billion. Landowners have also sought a forensic audit, questioning ERCOT’s 2024 models.
