By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
About 80 area landowners attended a workshop detailing steps they can take to voice their opposition to segments of a proposed high-voltage transmission line across their properties.
The workshop was held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mesquite Creek Outfitters, 800 S. Main St. It was hosted by representatives of the Hill Country Preservation Coalition (HCPC) and the Devils River Conservancy.
The meeting focused on what is known as the Howard-Solstice Transmission Line. The project, which would be Texas’ first 765-kV transmission line, is proposed to run 370 miles from south San Antonio to Fort Stockton. Several proposed routes would pass through central and northern Val Verde County.
According to an October 2025 article in Transformer Magazine, titled “Texas approves $13.8B plan for Permian Basin grid,” Texas regulators approved a sweeping reliability plan for the Permian Basin to address growing electricity demand driven by oil and gas production, data centers and industrial growth.
Romey Swanson, executive director of the Devils River Conservancy, welcomed attendees.
“We’re here to help everybody that needs some assistance, to make sure that their rights and their voices are heard in this next phase of the process,” Swanson said.
He also directed attendees to a petition asking Val Verde County Commissioners Court to consider becoming intervenors in the transmission line case.
Jada Jo Smith, founder and president of HCPC, said the coalition has grown over the past seven months from a small grassroots organization into a larger association of landowners and advocacy groups.
“From the beginning, we knew that this was a Goliath, a Goliath backed by legislation. Are we going to stop it? Probably not,” Smith said. “We wanted to take a more practical, pragmatic approach to this, to get them to try to at least route the line where we felt it was least harmful.
association of conservation groups and landowners say will cause the least damage to Hill
Country and West Texas rivers, river basins and pristine landscapes. (Graphic courtesy of Hill Country Preservation Coalition)
“And when I say ‘least harmful,’ I don’t mean that lightly. There is no route that does not cause harm. There is no way this thing is going to be built where it doesn’t affect a landowner. Somebody is going to be devastated, and somebody is going to be hurt.”
Smith said HCPC and its partner organizations developed what they call a “least harmful route” by attempting to follow existing highway infrastructure as closely as possible.
The proposed route would follow U.S. Highway 90 west from San Antonio to U.S. Highway 277, then continue north to Interstate 10 near Sonora before following I-10 west to the Solstice Substation near Fort Stockton.
Smith said the group initially requested the line follow I-10 the entire way from San Antonio but were told that was not an option.
Amanda Griffin, vice president of HCPC, explained materials some landowners received from the Public Utility Commission of Texas. She said packets were mailed to property owners within 500 feet of the proposed routes.
The packets include maps showing 77 potential routes submitted by CPS Energy and AEP Texas as part of an application filed March 2.
Griffin said landowners and others have 30 days from that filing to respond.
“That means our deadline is April 1,” Griffin said.
She encouraged attendees to review the maps, locate their properties and submit comments opposing routes affecting them.
Griffin said the packet includes two forms: a comment form and an intent-to-intervene form.
“I encourage everyone in this room to file a comment page in protest to the segment running across your property,” she said.
She stressed that all comments must include the docket number — Docket No. 59336 — to be considered.
Instructions for submitting comments are available at the coalition’s website, www.preservethehillcountry.com.
Griffin said anyone can submit a comment, not just affected landowners.
“Everyone in this room can file a comment saying, ‘This is a bad idea, and here’s the reasons why,’” she said. “Everyone that ever visited the Devils River can do it, your cousin that lives in Philadelphia can file a comment, and all those comments will be taken into account.”
She added that while stopping the project entirely is unlikely, the coalition aims to influence the final route.
“Our position has been to get a seat at the table to effect positive change on the route that’s ultimately selected,” Griffin said.
She also explained that filing as an intervenor provides greater access to the process but carries additional responsibilities.
HCPC plans to file for intervenor status on behalf of its members and may include testimony from individual landowners as part of that filing.
Swanson, Smith and Griffin also answered questions from attendees.
