Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of The Right Idea, Derek Cohen sits down with Carson Clayton, TPPF Life:Powered Campaign Director, to break down the controversial 765-kV transmission lines (Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan / STEP).
Texas lawmakers and activists are sounding the alarm over a $33 billion plan to build massive ultra-high voltage transmission lines across the state — cutting through pristine Hill Country and farmland — instead of addressing the root cause: Texas’ broken energy market that over-subsidizes intermittent wind and solar while under-building reliable dispatchable power.
Featuring powerful clips from Senator Kevin Sparks and Representative Brad Buckley.
Key Topics:
* Why the Permian Basin — one of the most energy-rich regions in the world — needs power imported from Central Texas
* How federal subsidies, ESG pressure, and ERCOT’s energy-only market are distorting investment
* The massive cost to ratepayers and landowners
* What real market reform looks like to prevent blackouts and unnecessary transmission boondoggles
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome & Introduction to the 765-kV Lines Controversy
01:23 - What Are the 765-kV Transmission Lines?
02:41 - Senator Kevin Sparks on the Permian Basin Plan
04:40 - Why Wind & Solar Boom Created a Reliability Crisis
08:37 - Senator Sparks on ERCOT Market Failures & Subsidies
09:39 - How the Energy-Only Market Rewards Unreliable Power
12:19 - Federal Policy, ESG, and Renewable Credits Driving the Problem
15:12 - Rep. Brad Buckley: Pause the Project & Reform the Market
17:02 - Proposed Market Reforms (SB 715 & Reliability Standards)
20:01 - The Coming Reliability Cliff & Why Transmission Is Just a Band-Aid
21:22 - How Much Gas Generation Would Make the 765-kV Lines Unnecessary?
If you care about Texas energy independence, affordable electricity, property rights, and keeping the lights on, this is a must-watch.
Subscribe on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-right-idea/id1671238569
Subscribe on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Fivytn0Rc2Kd0bjj6v5Pc
In this episode of The Right Idea, Derek Cohen sits down with Carson Clayton, TPPF Life:Powered Campaign Director, to break down the controversial 765-kV transmission lines (Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan / STEP).
Texas lawmakers and activists are sounding the alarm over a $33 billion plan to build massive ultra-high voltage transmission lines across the state — cutting through pristine Hill Country and farmland — instead of addressing the root cause: Texas’ broken energy market that over-subsidizes intermittent wind and solar while under-building reliable dispatchable power.
Featuring powerful clips from Senator Kevin Sparks and Representative Brad Buckley.
Key Topics:
* Why the Permian Basin — one of the most energy-rich regions in the world — needs power imported from Central Texas
* How federal subsidies, ESG pressure, and ERCOT’s energy-only market are distorting investment
* The massive cost to ratepayers and landowners
* What real market reform looks like to prevent blackouts and unnecessary transmission boondoggles
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome & Introduction to the 765-kV Lines Controversy
01:23 - What Are the 765-kV Transmission Lines?
02:41 - Senator Kevin Sparks on the Permian Basin Plan
04:40 - Why Wind & Solar Boom Created a Reliability Crisis
08:37 - Senator Sparks on ERCOT Market Failures & Subsidies
09:39 - How the Energy-Only Market Rewards Unreliable Power
12:19 - Federal Policy, ESG, and Renewable Credits Driving the Problem
15:12 - Rep. Brad Buckley: Pause the Project & Reform the Market
17:02 - Proposed Market Reforms (SB 715 & Reliability Standards)
20:01 - The Coming Reliability Cliff & Why Transmission Is Just a Band-Aid
21:22 - How Much Gas Generation Would Make the 765-kV Lines Unnecessary?
If you care about Texas energy independence, affordable electricity, property rights, and keeping the lights on, this is a must-watch.
Subscribe on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-right-idea/id1671238569
Subscribe on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Fivytn0Rc2Kd0bjj6v5Pc
