WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), alongside U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01), announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will no longer pursue its proposed Midwest-Plains and Plains-Southwest National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) in Kansas. The announcement comes as DOE begins Phase 3 of the NIETC Designation Process, which included refining geographic boundaries of proposed NIETCs.

“Kansans have made their voices heard - the Department of Energy has withdrawn its proposal and there will no longer be a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor across Kansas,” said Sen. Moran. “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 the decisions that should be left up to Kansans, not Washington.”

“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,” said Sen. Marshall. “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. As soon as we heard of this project, we immediately went to the DOE and fought back. We are glad to see Kansan's voices were heard at the highest levels. ”

“Kansans made it clear from the very beginning that we were not interested in the federal government seizing our private land,” said Rep. Mann. “I heard countless concerns from Kansans who were displeased with DOE’s overly vague proposal and the lack of engagement with landowners who would be potentially impacted by it. I worked to force the Department of Energy to provide clarity those landowners and introduced legislation to prevent the federal government using taxpayer dollars to seize any private property for the corridor. I also made it clear that the federal government should not override decisions made by Kansas state regulators who are more directly impacted by the proposal. Today’s announcement that the Department of Energy will no longer pursue the corridors is a huge win for Kansans, and I’m glad their voices were heard in stopping this federal overreach. I will never stop fighting to protect the rights of Kansans.”

In September 2024, Sens. Moran and Marshall and Rep. Mann introduced legislation to prevent the federal government form using taxpayer dollars to seize property for the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. The members also secured an agreement from DOE to extend the comment period regarding the NIETC proposal in Kansas.

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