America's Energy Grid

There are two corridor processes underway as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005: 

• The West-wide Energy Corridors for siting electric transmission lines, oil, natural gas, and hydrogen pipelines, and
• the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) for electric transmission lines.

Both of these processes are described in our fact sheet: Designation of Energy Corridors under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

West-wide Energy Corridors

Update: Conservation Groups File Lawsuit to Fix Energy Corridors by Providing Access to Renewable Energy and Protecting Sensitive Lands and Wildlife.

A coalition of conservation groups has filed a lawsuit in federal court aimed at fixing the West-wide Energy Corridors plan for pipelines and electrical transmission lines in the west. Finalized in the waning days of the Bush administration, the current plan fails to move us toward a clean energy future, slices through iconic places like Arches National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, violates laws protecting endangered species and ignores input from states, tribes, local governments and thousands of citizens who have urged improvements.

The corridors should provide access to renewable energy like wind and solar while protecting sensitive lands. However, Congressman Raul Grijalva called the draft plan "a giant power plug to coal-fired power plants," and the plan finalized by the Bush administration this January does nothing more to wean us from our addiction to fossil fuels.

The lawsuit is one of several ongoing efforts in a variety of venues to transform the plan into a useful tool for bringing responsible renewable energy development online. Along with numerous draft bills in Congress and a Secretarial Order from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the lawsuit should help bring the plan in line with the Obama administration's goals for a clean, sustainable energy future.

Key Materials

• Press Release for the lawsuit on the West-wide Energy Corridors PEIS
   
• Statements of Support for Fixing the Energy Corridors
   
• West-wide Energy Corridors: Key Points and Overview
   
• Map of final energy corridors, published in the Record of Decision for the PEIS
   
• Map of proposed corridors and existing and proposed coal fired power plants
  This map shows how the proposed corridors run directly to existing and proposed coal fired power plants, facilitating the continued reliance on dirty coal fuels.
   
• Maps of renewable energy resources and missed opportunities to access them: These maps show where the corridors fail to line up with the renewable energy areas (Qualified Resource Areas) identified by the Western Governors' Association in their Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ) process.
  All renewables
  Wind
  Solar
  Geothermal
   
• Fact Sheet - Engineer's Expert Opinion: Accessing Renewables and Protecting Special Places
  This fact sheet summarizes a study completed by an engineering expert which identifies opportunities to access Wyoming wind while avoiding corridors through Arches National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
   
• Map of Corridor Impacts to Arches National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
   
• Complaint, filed 7/7/09
   
• The Wilderness Society's comments on the Draft West-wide Energy Corridors PEIS
   
• Official Department of Energy Corridor PEIS website

National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors

Moving forward with their plan, the Department of Energy has designated two NIETCs: Mid-Atlantic and Southwest. These “corridors” encompass huge portions of Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia in the Mid-Atlantic and cover a substantial area in Arizona and Southern California in the Southwest.

Several conservation organizations and every state affected by the designations have initiated litigation to stop the designations on various grounds including that the fast-track approval process would allow energy companies to bypass state jurisdiction, environmental laws and even private landownership in pursuit of constructing transmission lines.

Key Materials

• BLM Action Center analysis of special places impacted by the Southwest NIETC
   
• The Wilderness Society's comments on Draft National Interest Electricity Transmission Corridors
   
• Letter from six governors urging Congress to delay NIETC implementation to address state and other concerns
  The letter requests additional time to address concerns over state authority and facilitation of efficiency and renewable energy.
   
• Official Department of Energy NIETC planning website