05/27/2026
We told the judges exactly what would happen to this view if the transmission line routes across the Devils River, and what that would mean for landowners, for paddlers, and for every Texan.
When DRC’s Executive Director, Romey Swanson, served as an expert witness in last week’s contested case hearing before the State Office of Administrative Hearings, the River Mile 20 Paddler Camp on Skyline Ranch became part of the official record. He described the impacts that looming 160-foot towers, a 200-foot-wide swath of cleared land across miles of intact habitat, and the accompanying lights and sounds of 765-kilovolt electrical lines would have on the landscape and its people. A landscape that the Dickinson Family of the 6,600-acre Skyline Ranch, the Devils River Conservancy, and a coalition of partners have worked for years to protect, culminating in a permanent conservation easement put in place earlier this year.
DRC was ready to provide that testimony on behalf of the entire Devils River Conservation Corridor, following over a year pushing ourselves to the edge to ensure the Devils River is not overlooked in a regulatory process dominated by economics, engineering, and political pressure.
But now we need your support—to recoup the resources it took to be prepared for this defining moment and everything leading up to it, and to be ready for what comes next. Because the PUCT could still decide to breach the heart of the Devils and forever fragment this iconic river basin.
If you believe our wild places are still worth defending, now is the time to stand with us. You can make a gift today through the link in our bio or by visiting devilsriverconservancy.org and clicking the Donate button on the home page. And please like and share this post to help us spread the word.
