First Corridors Designated Under 2005 Energy Policy Act
Designation of “national interest electric transmission corridors” by the Dept. of Energy will speed up the power-line siting process for some of the country’s most congested load centers, stakeholders say. But the proposal, the first of a series under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, also has stirred opposition from lawmakers representing the targeted areas.
On April 26, DOE proposed one corridor in the mid-Atlantic states and another in the Southwest (maps). EPAct 2005 authorized the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to permit transmission lines within the DOE-defined corridors should state regulators fail to act on applications within a year. Proponents predict the designations will tame what can be an unwieldy state and local process for building transmission infrastructure.