Energy and Air Pollution in Texas

Dr. Brent Bennett’s Testimony Before the Senate Business and Commerce Committee: 765-kV Lines

Testimony of Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Policy Director, Life:Powered Texas Public Policy Foundation July 29, 2026 Chairman Schwertner and Members of the Committee: Thank you for another opportunity to testify about the important challenges facing the Texas electric grid and particularly on the urgent challenge of transmission planning. We all agree that Texas needs more reliable...

An Economic Assessment of the 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan

An Economic Assessment of the 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan And Alternative Approaches to Enable Cost-Effective Growth WRITTEN BY Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Download the full research paper here. KEY POINTS • The need for the 765-kV STEP is driven by an overbuilding of wind and solar across Texas, particularly in West Texas and South Texas,...

Forecasting the Future of the ERCOT Grid, Part 1: The Ongoing Winter Reliability Challenge

Forecasting the Future of the ERCOT Grid, Part 1: The Ongoing Winter Reliability Challenge Written By: Michael Reed and Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Download the full research paper here. Key Points While the operational performance of the ERCOT grid has improved since Winter Storm Uri in 2021, the increasing reliance of the grid on wind, solar,...