If you have land anywhere near the proposed STEP Permian transmission lines, you already know something big is coming. The plan calls for three transmission lines stretching more than 1,200 miles across North, Central, and South Texas, moving power from East Texas to the Permian Basin. Five separate segments still need approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
Dan Gattis recently spoke on this issue, representing the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. As reported by Texas Scorecard, lawmakers pushed back hard on regulators, questioning whether this statewide build-out ever had the legislative authorization it needed. Dan’s response cut straight to what landowners are up against: “The oil and gas industry will always tell you the sky is falling.” He also reminded everyone in the room of something every rancher and landowner already feels in their gut: decisions like this “cannot be undone once they are done.”
That is the heart of it. Proponents point to the risk of rolling outages in West Texas and a price tag near $90 billion. Critics, including landowners and their lawmakers, are asking whether alternatives like temporary generation were ever fully explored before reaching for a permanent line across private property. Notably, proponents themselves admitted a path exists to delay the project while those alternatives get a real look.
Your land is your legacy. It supports you, grounds you, feeds your family, and provides a source of revenue. When a transmission line is proposed across it, you deserve a real conversation about alternatives, not a rushed timeline. If you are facing a transmission easement or condemnation notice tied to this project, Dan Gattis understands the process from both sides, as a lawyer and as a landowner.
