WASHINGTON -- All six members of Arkansas' congressional delegation urged Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Tuesday to "protect state sovereignty" and defend "states' rights" by blocking construction of an energy transmission line proposed to cut across Arkansas.
In a letter, the six Republicans urged the former Texas governor to help them fight Clean Line Energy Partners' $2 billion project, which would carry electricity from Oklahoma wind farms to consumers in the southeastern United States.
U.S. Sens. John Boozman of Rogers and Tom Cotton of Dardanelle, and U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro, French Hill of Little Rock, Steve Womack of Rogers and Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs wrote to Perry a day after they introduced legislation that would give states and American Indian tribes the power to derail these types of projects.
If it passed, Arkansas' governor and the head of its Public Service Commission would have to explicitly authorize the use of eminent domain before it could be used against landowners.
Decisions about the placement of transmission lines have traditionally been made by states, the lawmakers said.
The Plains and Eastern Clean Line project would span more than 700 miles, entering Arkansas just north of Van Buren and exiting the state south of Wilson in Mississippi County if the preferred route is adopted.
It would carry 4,000 megawatts, enough power to supply 1 million homes, supporters say. A converter station in Pope County would enable up to 500 megawatts of the power to be delivered to Arkansas customers, the company added.
Arkansas government officials and many landowners along the path have opposed construction of the project, saying it would be an eyesore, lower property values, endanger migratory waterfowl and force landowners to sell property against their will.
Supporters say it would create jobs, reduce carbon emissions and diversify the nation's energy supply.
In their letter to Perry, the lawmakers say they don't object to renewable energy or improvements to the nation's electric grid.
"Instead, our objections relate to the vast overreach the Obama Administration employed, allowing this project to skip the necessary protections which exist to protect state sovereignty and private property rights," they wrote.
Under Section 1222 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the secretary of energy can own, operate, build or collaborate on construction of a transmission facility that is needed "to accommodate an actual or projected increase in demand for electric transmission capacity."
The project must be in the national interest, "reduce congestion of electric transmission in interstate commerce" and not interfere with the "efficient and reliable operation of the transmission grid."
A year ago, then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz gave his backing to the Clean Line project, saying it would help modernize the nation's power grid and facilitate the use of renewable energy.
After the letter was released, Clean Line Energy Partners expressed confidence in the Energy Department's decision-making process, noting that the agency had spent nearly six years on the process. Clean Line said the 2005 Energy Policy Act had been signed into law by President George W. Bush after receiving bipartisan support.
The company remains committed to the project, its executive vice president, Mario Hurtado, said in a written statement.
"Since receiving approval from [the U.S. Department of Energy] in 2016, large field crews have been mobilized in Arkansas to prepare the project for construction, Arkansas manufacturers are testing equipment and planning for production next year; and a new factory will open in West Memphis next month that will put Arkansans to work manufacturing critical equipment for the project," he said. "The Plains & Eastern Clean Line is good for Arkansas workers and Arkansas consumers."
Metro on 03/08/2017
Print Headline: State's six ask Perry to block power line
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