Project of American Energy Works

A Texas Ratepayer Coalition

Texans Are Paying More.
It's Time to Fight Back.

Utility lobbyists are in Austin every day. We show up with something rarer: the plain truth from the people paying the bills. We attend hearings, testify before the PUC, and make sure commissioners hear from real Texans — not just the utilities billing them.

Join the Coalition Take Action Today
28%
Rise in TX residential
electric rates since Uri
EIA Electric Power Monthly
40%
Of avg. TX bill now going
to transmission & delivery
TX Public Policy Foundation
$33B
To build the new 765-kV
transmission lines & upgrades
Life:Powered, Jan. 2026
7%
Of income low-income Texans
spend on electricity — rising to 9%
TEPRI, 2025
Ratepayers and coalition members at the Public Utility Commission of Texas hearing in Austin

Ratepayers and coalition members outside the PUC hearing room in Austin, June 25, 2026. From left: Molly Vogt (American Energy Works), Lorena Kanak (Secure The Grid), David Nash, Don Brown, Commissioner Rich Paces, Nancy White, Linda Bullard, Lon & Sandra Musgrove (Hill Country Energy Sub-Regional Planning Commission). Photo courtesy Hill Country Energy Sub-Regional Planning Commission.

Real Texans, Real Results

Texans Showed Up. And It Made the News.

This isn't a lobbying firm. It's homeowners, ranchers, and small business owners driving to Austin on their own time to tell commissioners how much their bills have gone up. Here's recent coverage of ratepayers showing up:

How We Work

We Show Up. We Testify. We Hold the PUC Accountable.

Every time the Public Utility Commission holds a hearing that affects what Texans pay for electricity, we organize ratepayers to attend, sign up, and speak. Two minutes of testimony from a real person carries more weight than any lobbyist's slide deck.

Step 1

We Watch the Docket

We track every PUC rule-making, rate case, and open hearing that could affect residential electric bills. When something important comes up, we alert our network.

Step 2

We Build the Case

We research the numbers, write plain-language one-pagers, and develop testimony templates so any Texan can walk in and speak with confidence — even if it's their first time.

Step 3

We Fill the Room

We mobilize ratepayers — homeowners, farmers, small business owners — to show up in Austin and testify. Commissioners hear from utility lobbyists daily. They need to hear from you.

Campaigns

Where We're Fighting Now

Each campaign is a specific PUC proceeding, rule-making, or legislative fight that affects your electric bill. Click any campaign to get the full brief, key stats, and testimony materials.

Active

Deny the Two Remanded 765-kV Lines

The PUC has approved three 765-kV lines covering more than 770 miles, part of a 765-kV build-out that costs $33 billion to build and roughly $100 billion over its lifetime. On September 11, the commission remanded two more: Bell County East to Big Hill, and Big Hill to Sand Lake. Administrative law judges have already recommended denying both. Tell the PUC to follow the judges.

Issue: Transmission costs & landowner rights on new 765-kV lines
Get Hearing Alerts →
✓ Decided, September 15, 2026

ExxonMobil Rose CCS Permit

The Railroad Commission approved ExxonMobil's Rose Carbon Capture and Storage permit 2-1 on September 15. The project will inject up to 53 million tons of CO2 underground, funded by federal tax credits worth up to $180 per ton at an estimated $30.3 billion cost to taxpayers. Thank you to everyone who emailed their lawmakers and the commissioners.

Issue: Taxpayer-funded carbon capture subsidies & RRC Class VI permitting
✓ Completed — August 19, 2026

House State Affairs Committee

Following the July 29 Senate hearing, the House Committee on State Affairs, chaired by Rep. Ken King, took testimony on the 765-kV CCN process, landowner notice, and eminent domain. Thank you to everyone who testified or signed the letter.

Issue: Transmission costs & landowner rights on new 765-kV lines
Take Action View Official Notice
✓ Completed — July 29, 2026

Senate Business & Commerce Committee

Chaired by Sen. Charles Schwertner, the committee heard testimony on rising electric bills and the proposed 765-kV transmission lines that could cut through private land across Texas.

Issue: Transmission costs & landowner rights on new 765-kV lines
Download One-Pager
✓ Completed

§25.58 Battery Storage Mandate

Proposed PUC rule would force Texas ratepayers to fund 1–2 hour battery systems at 5–10× the cost of natural gas — with no competitive bid and no accountability. If it underperforms, the utility still collects guaranteed profit.

Issue: Forced ratepayer funding of BESS without market competition
Read the Brief Take Action
✓ Completed

§25.101 Transmission Expansion

A proposed rule would abbreviate the review process for new long-distance transmission lines — the same infrastructure driving costs up — while stripping landowners of their right to be heard on eminent domain.

Issue: Ratepayer costs & landowner rights under eminent domain shortcuts
Read the Brief Take Action
✓ Completed — June 25, 2026

PUC Open Hearing — June 25, 2026

We organized ratepayers to testify at the PUC's open hearing on §25.58 and §25.101. Texans showed up at the William B. Travis Building and gave commissioners the plain truth from the people paying the bills.

Location: Austin, TX · Partners: Secure the Grid Coalition, AEW
View Materials
See All Campaigns →
The Issues

What We're Fighting For

Every dollar wasted on bad energy policy comes out of a Texan's pocket. Here's the short version of why your bill is so high and what needs to change.

Rate Increases

Texas residential rates jumped 28% since Winter Storm Uri — from 11.6¢ to 14.9¢/kWh. Transmission and delivery now make up 30–40% of the average bill, and that number keeps climbing as we build power farther from where people live.

Learn more →

Forced Battery Mandates

§25.58 would make ratepayers fund 1–2 hour batteries at 5–10× the cost of natural gas. During Winter Storm Fern, gas/coal/nuclear supplied 80%+ of the load. Wind & solar averaged just 16% availability. Batteries can't survive a 5-day storm.

Learn more →

Grid Reliability

Since 2000, Texas has built 69 GW of wind & solar versus only 30 GW of dispatchable capacity. We've spent $130B+ in subsidies and rates went up anyway. We need dispatchable generation — gas, coal, nuclear — built close to where people live.

Learn more →
See All Issues →
Coalition Partners

RatepayersFirst works alongside Texas energy advocacy organizations fighting for affordable, reliable electricity.

American Energy Works | Secure the Grid Coalition