The Kansas Heartlander asks if residents are informed enough to comment on the U.S. Department of Energy's National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors proposal?
No, no they are not.
Last week, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley sent a second letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm asking for clear and complete information on the NIETC proposal so that his constituents will be informed enough to make comment. Senator Hawley also requested a 45-day extension of the comment deadline.
Senator Hawley said...
No, no they are not.
Last week, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley sent a second letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm asking for clear and complete information on the NIETC proposal so that his constituents will be informed enough to make comment. Senator Hawley also requested a 45-day extension of the comment deadline.
Senator Hawley said...
Constituents in my state have rightfully complained that the proposal lacks essential information needed to adequately provide comments on the plan. The maps provided are simply not specific enough. Landowners should be notified if the proposed route is going to touch their land. Instead, they are left to guess whether or not their land could be taken by the federal government. And they can only be sure that the corridor is on their land when it is finalized.
That's because the only information the public has is a vague, not to scale map with a line drawn on it. And the DOE has done nothing to notify citizens that they may be in a corridor. DOE has done shockingly little press on its proposal to conscript the land of millions of Americans and turn it into high-voltage electric transmission corridors. If not for the knowledge of a handful of watchdog citizens, DOE would be getting away with it!
It's not like DOE doesn't have the information, it's just that DOE refuses to disclose the information it used to draw its vague maps. DOE solicited "recommendations" for corridors from greedy transmission developers back in December 2023. DOE needs to share the information it received so that citizens can base their comments on the same information DOE will use to evaluate this proposed corridor for designation. Citizens are drawn into a duel without any weapons. It's absolutely shameful!
A future NIETC designation is a land use planning decision that changes the use and marketability of land in perpetuity. Who would buy a home in a NIETC if a future transmission line is planned to destroy it? Who would buy land and build a house in a NIETC that is subject to federal eminent domain? How can farmers plan improvements to their businesses when they have no idea if they will even get their investment back? It's bad enough that Missouri farmers have been threatened with Grain Belt Express for more than a decade, now the DOE is planning more transmission within a 5-mile swath of their remaining properties. On top of that, there is no compensation offered by the DOE for property taken by a NIETC. It's private property taken for public use, without just compensation. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits such a taking. It also prohibits depriving citizens of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, and DOE is shutting down all due process for citizens impacted by its corridor proposal.
Senator Hawley is not afraid to stand up to the DOE and demand due process for citizens. But why are the rest of our elected officials asleep? Bravo, Senator Hawley, and thank you for your work! I hope other Senators are brave enough to join you!
It's not like DOE doesn't have the information, it's just that DOE refuses to disclose the information it used to draw its vague maps. DOE solicited "recommendations" for corridors from greedy transmission developers back in December 2023. DOE needs to share the information it received so that citizens can base their comments on the same information DOE will use to evaluate this proposed corridor for designation. Citizens are drawn into a duel without any weapons. It's absolutely shameful!
A future NIETC designation is a land use planning decision that changes the use and marketability of land in perpetuity. Who would buy a home in a NIETC if a future transmission line is planned to destroy it? Who would buy land and build a house in a NIETC that is subject to federal eminent domain? How can farmers plan improvements to their businesses when they have no idea if they will even get their investment back? It's bad enough that Missouri farmers have been threatened with Grain Belt Express for more than a decade, now the DOE is planning more transmission within a 5-mile swath of their remaining properties. On top of that, there is no compensation offered by the DOE for property taken by a NIETC. It's private property taken for public use, without just compensation. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits such a taking. It also prohibits depriving citizens of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, and DOE is shutting down all due process for citizens impacted by its corridor proposal.
Senator Hawley is not afraid to stand up to the DOE and demand due process for citizens. But why are the rest of our elected officials asleep? Bravo, Senator Hawley, and thank you for your work! I hope other Senators are brave enough to join you!
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