The U.S. Department of Energy has scrapped plans for an electric transmission corridor in Kansas, after hearing opposition from landowners and the state’s congressional delegation.

The Department had been mapping boundaries for its National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) with one route proposed through Kansas.  Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall and Congressman Tracey Mann reported hearing concerns from state residents about the seizure of private property for the corridor.

Moran issued a statement saying there will no longer be a corridor in Kansas and he said, “This is great news for the impacted landowners and farmers and ranchers. I am grateful to the Kansans who partnered with me to send a clear message to the federal government that it cannot take action to overrule state regulators. These are the decisions that should be left up to Kansans, not Washington.”    Senator Marshall said, “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.” 

Kansas Farm Bureau president Joe Newland said,  “For nearly two years, Kansas Farm Bureau has fought the NIETC rules and then both of the proposed NIETC designations in Kanas because it would override the authority of state regulators and give developers an unfair edge in negotiations with landowners.”