Energy Corridors Threaten Numerous Landscapes
The American people are beginning to learn about some of the ill-conceived features of the major energy bill that Congress passed in 2005. “That legislation had two central shortcomings,” says The Wilderness Society’s David Alberswerth. “It failed to provide promising solutions to our serious problems—and it created new problems.”
We are working with members of Congress, the Sierra Club, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and other groups to repeal provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that threaten to carve broad power line corridors through some of the nation’s most scenic and historic landscapes. Section 368 of the act directs federal agencies to designate routes on public lands across the West. Unfortunately, the provision does not specifically exempt wildlife refuges, national forest roadless areas, or other special places. As a result, the most recent draft of the plan envisions corridors running through many of them.
Another provision of the same statute, Section 1221, gives the secretary of energy authority to identify broad swaths of public and private lands as “National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors.” The Department of Energy has interpreted the language to give the secretary the power to designate whole regions of the country—even entire states—as potential corridors. So far he has selected two areas. One encompasses hundreds of square miles in eastern Ohio and all or parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The other region includes huge swaths of Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona.
“While some new energy corridors may be needed, the process should be careful and rational,” says Nada Culver, an attorney in our Central Rockies office. “Right now we have the power industry and political appointees frantically pushing these plans through with very limited input from the affected states and citizens. It’s a runaway train.”
This summer Congress is drawing up another energy bill. Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), and Frank Wolf (R-VA) are leaders in the effort to put language in this measure that would repeal sections 368 and 1221, replacing them with a more thoughtful process. Please urge your representatives on Capitol Hill to support these initiatives.
