U.S. Rep. Ron Estes representing Kansas' 4th Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. Ron Estes representing Kansas' 4th Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
Reps. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) and Tracey Mann (R-Kansas) introduced H.R.9527 this week, aiming to prevent a federal land acquisition from the Mid Western Plains NIETC. The bill seeks to explicitly prohibit the use of federal funds for exercising federal eminent domain powers for power transmission projects and would also block permitting such projects if a state objects.
"Many Kansans are rightfully outraged that their land could be usurped by the federal government," said Rep. Estes. "Respect for private property rights is foundational to our way of life and this bill will help ensure that even the federal government has to respect the rights of Kansas landowners."
Rep. Estes has shown a strong commitment to protecting Kansas landowners' property rights. Last month, he sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm outlining concerns about how the NIETC project could lead to federal land grabs and distort the intent of the private Grain Belt Express transmission line project. He also called on the DOE to reopen the comment period to fully address these concerns.
You can read the full letter here.
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