AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of Texas landowners gathered in Austin this week to challenge proposed transmission line routes tied to a major statewide power infrastructure project.

The Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kV transmission project, proposed by Oncor and the Lower Colorado River Authority, is designed to move power across Texas and strengthen the state grid as demand rises from population growth, data centers and industrial expansion.

In March, the utilities filed plans with the Public Utility Commission of Texas that included 122 potential route options.

This week, administrative judges are hearing testimony about those routes before eventually making recommendations to the PUC.

For Burnet County resident Jan Rose, the possibility of a transmission line crossing her property is overwhelming.

“It’s going to traverse our property, not along the property lines, but right through the middle, about 150 feet from our front door,” Rose said.

What is the Bell County East-to-Big Hill project?

Rose is one of hundreds of Texans participating in this week’s hearing, arguing why their land is not an appropriate location for future transmission infrastructure.

“We have 13 minutes to present this whole case (to the administrative judges),” Rose said.

The proposed project spans multiple counties across Texas and is part of a broader effort to expand the state’s electric transmission capacity.

Oncor and LCRA argue they studied dozens of route options to reduce impacts to homes, landowners and environmentally sensitive areas.

Why Texas landowners oppose the transmission routes

Still, opponents argue the process pits neighbors against one another while forcing landowners to spend significant money trying to protect their property.

“All of these groups and all of these landowners are going to spend, I mean, collectively, millions of dollars easily, over this next week in legal fees,” said Mia Sarot, founder of the Hill Country Land and Legacy Alliance, an advocacy group representing landowners across Central Texas.

She also argued the state’s timeline for approving transmission projects compresses the process too aggressively.

How the PUC hearing process works

Under state law, the Public Utility Commission has 180 days from the initial filing to complete the transmission line approval process.

According to Sarot, landowners have about 30 days to intervene in the case, followed by roughly 90 days of review by administrative law judges and about 30 days for PUC commissioners to make final decisions.

“The decisions are made faster than they can really meaningfully have input because you have to understand the project,” Sarot said.

When Texas regulators could make a decision

Following the hearing, administrative judges are expected to send route recommendations to the PUC.

“It doesn’t mean that the PUC commissioners have to agree with what they do, and they can make a completely different decision,” Sarot said.

Another hearing later this month could further complicate the process. That proceeding will focus on whether additional route alternatives should have been included in the application.

If judges determine the proposed routes were insufficient, portions of the process could be revisited.

“We might then, you know, have to do this again, spend more money. That is very frustrating,” Sarot said.

For Jan Rose and her husband, Austin Rose, the hope is simple. “Our hope is that the PUC will slow this process down,” she said.

As part of the hearing process, Oncor and LCRA are expected to present witnesses discussing why specific routes were selected. Participants are given 13 minutes to cross-examine utility representatives and limited time to present their arguments.

The Public Utility Commission is expected to make a final decision later this year.