SE Kansas News

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, along with Representative Tracey Mann, have announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) will not proceed with its proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) in Kansas. This decision comes as part of Phase 3 of the NIETC Designation Process, which involves refining the geographic boundaries of proposed corridors.

"Kansans have made their voices heard - the Department of Energy has withdrawn its proposal and there will no longer be a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor across Kansas," stated the announcement. "This is great news for the impacted landowners and farmers and ranchers. I am grateful to the Kansans that partnered with me to send a clear message to the federal government that it cannot take action to overrule state regulators. These are decisions that should be left up to Kansans, not Washington."

Senator Marshall emphasized, "Kansans living in the path of this proposed transmission line corridor spoke loud and clear: they do not want the federal government dictating what happens in their backyard." He added, "Kansans should always determine what is built in Kansas, not federal bureaucrats. This proposal represented a dangerous overreach of federal authority, turning our backyards into pathways for delivering energy to the coastal elites."

Representative Mann also commented on the decision: "Kansans made it clear from the very beginning that we were not interested in the federal government seizing our private land." He mentioned receiving numerous concerns about DOE’s vague proposal and lack of engagement with potentially affected landowners. Mann worked to ensure clarity from DOE and introduced legislation aimed at preventing federal seizure of private property for such corridors.

In September 2024, Moran, Marshall, and Mann introduced legislation designed to prevent federal use of taxpayer dollars for property seizure related to NIETCs. They also obtained an agreement from DOE to extend the comment period regarding this proposal in Kansas.