165. How Hill Country Landowners Are Challenging CPS Energy's 370-Mile Transmission Line Plan

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the fight over the Howard Solstice Transmission Line — a proposed 370-mile, 765kV power line that would connect CPS Energy's Howard Road Station in Bexar County to a new substation in Pecos County, cutting through some of the most ecologically sensitive terrain in Texas.Host Bob Rivard welcomes Ted Flato, founding principal of Lake|Flato Architects and founder of the Headwaters Alliance, and Jada Jo Smith, owner of Orange Blossom Realty in Utopia and an elected official on the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District. Both are longtime Hill Country ranchers and leading voices in the opposition coalition, which has grown to nearly 48,000 members.They discuss:How CPS Energy and AEP Texas proposed the line — and why the compressed timeline caught landowners off guardWhy the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone makes certain routes especially dangerousHow the Hill Country Preservation Coalition built a broad, bipartisan opposition movement in a matter of monthsWhat "the least harmful route" means — and how much of it CPS Energy appears to have embracedWhat landowners can expect if the line crosses their property, and why eminent domain is the worst outcomeWhere the case stands now as the Public Utility Commission of Texas prepares to make a final decisionRECOMMENDED NEXT LISTEN:▶ #159. The Cost of Powering San Antonio: CPS Energy  - CEO Rudy Garza on Potential Increasing Rates, Sustainable Growth, and Grid Demand — Bob Rivard sat down with CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza to explore the pressures facing San Antonio's municipally owned utility, including surging demand, grid reliability, and the infrastructure investments driving the Howard Solstice project. Essential context for this conversation... ..GET THE NEWSLETTER📬 If you found this conversation valuable, Bob Rivard's Monday Musings newsletter goes deeper on the stories shaping San Antonio — analysis and context you won't find anywhere else, delivered to your inbox every Monday morning. Independent, nonpartisan, and free to read. Subscribe here. -- --CONNECT📸 Connect on Instagram🔗 Join us on LinkedIn🎥 Subscribe on YouTubeSPONSORS🙌 Support the show & see our sponsorsTHANK YOU⭐ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⭐ Rate us on Spotify