In June 2012, a landmark settlement was reached between federal agencies and a coalition of conservation organizations, including The Wilderness Society, as well as a western Colorado county1 that had challenged West-wide Energy Corridors initially designated under Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to create a system of corridors for pipelines and powerlines across the West.

Through the settlement, the designations will be reevaluated and revised to better: avoid environmentally sensitive areas, diminish proliferation of dispersed right-of-ways (ROWs), and facilitate development of renewable energy projects.