Wichita Standard

On Friday, Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm regarding the DOE’s proposed designation of the Midwest-Plains National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) that would traverse Kansas, including two counties in the 4th District – Edwards and Pawnee.

“Respect for private property rights is essential to our American way of life, and I am firmly committed to protecting those rights,” said Rep. Estes. “The DOE’s disregard for the private property rights of Kansans and lack of transparency in this process is unacceptable.”

The letter outlines how the NIETC project could subject Kansans to federal land acquisitions and distort the intent of the private Grain Belt Express transmission line project.

“The 45-day comment period for this project did not provide enough time for local groups to fully understand the impacts this designation would have on their communities, nor were many Kansans even aware of the comment period,” Rep. Estes wrote in his letter to Secretary Granholm.

Since the comment period closed, there have been several public meetings, community engagement efforts, and stakeholder outreach on this issue. Rep. Estes’ letter calls on DOE to reopen the comment period to fully address the concerns of Kansans living in the path of this proposal.

You can read the full letter here.