We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. - President Obama

The President has stated that the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21^st century. These facilities will accommodate additional electric capacity over the next several decades, including new renewable generation as well as improve reliability and reduce congestion in the western grid. These electric transmission facilities will transmit the energy that will power our future.

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Interagency Rapid Response Team for Transmission (RRTT)

• Coordinating statutory permitting, review, and consultation schedules and processes among involved Federal and state agencies, as appropriate, through Integrated Federal Planning;
• Applying a uniform and consistent approach to consultations with Tribal governments; and,
• Resolving interagency conflicts and ensuring that all involved agencies are fully engaged and meeting timelines.  

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Interagency Transmission MOU

• Designating a single Federal point-of-contact for all Federal authorizations;
• Facilitating coordination and unified environmental documentation among project applicants, Federal Agencies, states, and tribes involved in the siting and permitting process;
• Establishing clear timelines for agency review and coordination; and
• Establishing a single consolidated environmental review and administrative record.

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To view a larger map of proposed energy corridors, click on the map or select this link.

West Wide Energy Corridors

West-Wide Energy Corridor Litigation and Approved Settlement Agreement

On July 7, 2009 multiple organizations (Plaintiffs) filed a Complaint in the Wilderness Society, et al. v. United States Department of the Interior, et al., No. 3:09-cv-03048-JW (N.D. Cal.). The Plaintiffs raised a variety of challenges in response to the BLM’s January 2009 Record of Decision. 

The BLM, United States Forest Service (USFS), Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Justice worked collaboratively with the Plaintiffs to develop a settlement with specific actions to mutually resolve the challenges in the Complaint. The agencies and Plaintiffs agreed to settle these matters without any adjudication or admission of fact or law by any party and to avoid protracted and costly litigation as well as preserve judicial resources.  (A PDF file containing the settlement agreement and the associated corridors of concern is available for downloading here.)

“This is a win-win outcome that will support the Obama administration’s all-of-the-above energy approach by increasing the reliability of our pipeline and power line networks and unlocking American-made energy, while helping to ensure that transmission lines and natural gas pipelines that cross public lands are sited in the right places. 

"By requiring periodic review of our nation’s energy corridors, with the benefit of thorough public participation, the settlement agreement will help meet our nation’s needs for expanded domestic energy infrastructure while protecting land, water and wildlife. 

"The interagency agreements outlined in the settlement will provide greater certainty for transmission and pipeline developers, whose proposals are subject to environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act.” – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar

Helpful Web Resources

• U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
• Rural Utilities Service - Electric Programs Loans and Grants
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
• North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)
• Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC)
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)
• Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)  
• DOE Interagency Federal Permitting Transmission Tracking System - Trans