Why This Matters

Rates Keep Climbing

Texas residential rates jumped from 11.6¢ to 14.9¢/kWh since Uri. Transmission and delivery now make up 30–40% of the average bill, and that number keeps growing as we build power farther from where people live.

The Poor Pay Most

Low-income Texans already spend up to 7% of their income on electricity. By 2030 that rises to 9%. For families on the margin, that's food or medicine.

Batteries Can't Survive a 5-Day Storm

§25.58 mandates ratepayers fund 1–2 hour battery systems at 5–10× the cost of natural gas, with no vote and no accountability. During Winter Storm Fern, gas/coal/nuclear supplied 80%+ of load. Wind & solar averaged just 16%.

Landowners Lose Their Voice

§25.101 would abbreviate review to rush more long-distance transmission, the same infrastructure driving costs up. Full review windows protect Texas landowners from eminent domain shortcuts.

§25.58 & §25.101: Vote Imminent

Two proposed rules are headed to a vote. Commissioners hear from utility lobbyists every day. Your 2-minute testimony on June 25 offers something far rarer: the plain truth from the people paying the bills.

There's a Better Path

Build dispatchable generation close to load centers. Apply equal reliability standards to all generators. Let competitive markets, not ratepayer mandates, fund storage. Protect landowner rights.

The Full One-Pager

Everything you need to testify at the June 25 PUC hearing: the numbers, the talking points, and a 2-minute testimony template. All in one document. Download it, share it, bring it on Thursday.

⚡ Proposed Rules §25.58 (Battery Storage) & §25.101 (Transmission Lines) — Vote Imminent — Texans Need to Be Heard

Why We're Going

We are not going to fight. We are going to help. Our commissioners hear from utility lobbyists every day. We're there to offer something rarer: the plain truth from the people paying the bills. Texas nearly lost its grid during Winter Storm Uri. Since then, we've been building the wrong things at the wrong price. We're here to explain what went wrong and how to fix it — respectfully, with facts.

The Numbers — Affordability First

28% Rise in TX residential electric rates, 2021–2024 (11.6¢ → 14.9¢/kWh) U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly	30→40% Of avg. TX electric bill now going to transmission & delivery — $33B more approved TX Public Policy Foundation / Life:Powered, Jan. 2026
49% Of CenterPoint transmission costs paid by residential customers — who use only 33% of electricity ElectricityPlans.com, utility cost data	>50% Of ERCOT's installed generating capacity is wind & solar Heritage Foundation / ERCOT, 2024
$14B Projected cost of outages from a 1-in-10-year winter storm in 2030 Texas Public Policy Foundation, 2025	1–2 hrs Most planned ERCOT batteries — >95% of capacity; 5–10× costlier than natural gas Rabobank ERCOT 2025; TPPF / EIA

Key Talking Points

Texans are paying more and getting less. Rates up 28% since Uri. T&D grown from 30%→40% of avg. bill — cost of building power far from people. §25.101 doubles down on that mistake.

Expensive energy hurts the poor most. Low-income Texans spend up to 7% of income on electricity — rising to 9% by 2030 (TEPRI). That is food or medicine for families on the margin.

Batteries store energy — they don't generate it. A 1–2 hr BESS can't survive a 5-day storm. During Winter Storm Fern, gas/coal/nuclear supplied 80%+ of energy — wind & solar averaged just 16% availability. (TPPF 2025)

We've overbuilt the wrong things. Since 2000: 69 GW wind & solar vs. only 30 GW dispatchable. $130B+ in subsidies — rates went up anyway. Wind peaks at 4% winter availability; gas/coal/nuclear hold 85–96%.

§25.58 mandates ratepayers fund BESS — no vote, no bid, no accountability. If it underperforms, the utility still collects guaranteed profit. That is a mandate, not a market.

§25.101 strips landowners of their right to be heard. Abbreviated review to rush more long-distance transmission — the same infrastructure driving costs up — is not progress.

Your 2-Minute Testimony Template

Speak from the heart — use this as a guide, not a script. Your personal story is more powerful than any statistic.

"Good morning, Commissioners. My name is [YOUR NAME], a [homeowner / farmer / rancher / small business owner] from [YOUR CITY, TX]."

"Since Uri, Texas rates rose 28%. Transmission is now 30–40% of the average bill — we're paying to ship power hundreds of miles from remote wind & solar farms. Low-income Texans already spend 7% of income on electricity, headed to 9% by 2030."

"§25.58 forces ratepayers to fund 1–2 hour batteries at 5–10× the cost of natural gas, with no vote and no accountability. During Winter Storm Fern, gas/coal/nuclear carried 80%+ of the load. Wind & solar averaged just 16% availability."

"Texas needs dispatchable generation — natural gas, coal, nuclear — built close to where people live. [Add your personal sentence here.] Please vote NO on §25.58 and §25.101. Thank you."

Testimony Tips — Be Effective in 2 Minutes

✓ Introduce Yourself Name, city, why you're affected. A personal intro lands harder than any data.	✓ Stay Respectful We're here to help, not fight. Kind tone gets heard; angry tone gets dismissed.
✓ Lead With Your Bill "My bill went up $40/month since Uri." One real number beats ten statistics.	✓ End With the Ask Close clearly: "Vote NO on §25.58 and §25.101." Don't leave them guessing.
✓ One or Two Facts Max One story + one stat beats ten numbers. Focused wins every time.	✓ Arrive Early Sign up at the door. Bring a printed copy. Speak slowly — they take notes.

The Solution — What Texas Should Do Instead

A Path to Affordable, Reliable Energy

Build dispatchable generation — gas, coal, nuclear — close to load centers. Stop paying billions to transmit power from remote wind & solar farms.

Apply equal reliability standards to ALL generators, including 94 GW of existing intermittent capacity currently exempt. Reward what works in emergencies.

Let competitive markets fund storage — not ratepayer mandates with guaranteed utility profit and zero accountability.

Require new intermittent generators to fund their own backup — not socialize costs onto households already absorbing a 28% rate increase.

Protect landowner rights under §25.101. Full review windows — no shortcuts on eminent domain for more long-distance transmission.

Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly · TX Public Policy Foundation (Life:Powered) · TEPRI · Rabobank ERCOT Analysis · Heritage Foundation | Written comments: interchange.puc.texas.gov

1,633 Texans have signed — join them Thursday.

↓ Download One-Pager (PDF) Join the Team

Affordable, Reliable Energyfor Every Texan. Ratepayers First.

Rates Keep Climbing

The Poor Pay Most

Batteries Can't Survive a 5-Day Storm

Landowners Lose Their Voice

§25.58 & §25.101: Vote Imminent

There's a Better Path

Affordable, Reliable Energy for Every Texan — Show Up & Speak Up.

Stand with 1,633 Texans Who Are Showing Up

Affordable, Reliable Energy
for Every Texan. Ratepayers First.