America's Energy Grid

The West-wide Energy Corridors process, part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is determining corridor siting for electric transmission lines, oil, natural gas, and hydrogen pipelines west-wide.

This process, as well as the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors process (which was invalidated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in 2011) 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