Carney Urges Department Of Energy To Scuttle Proposed Transmission Corridor Through Delaware

State May Need To Sue To Stop Construction

Lt. Governor John Carney today called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to stop its proposed mid-Atlantic National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC).

"This proposal is ill-conceived and premature," the Lt. Governor writes in a letter delivered to the Department today. "It runs counter to forward thinking energy policies to promote sustainable "green" energy alternatives that are right for Delaware and the nation."

NIETCs are areas of the country that are identified as "congested" in the United States and in need of additional electricity capacity. NIETCs were created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was passed in an effort to respond to reliability concerns in these areas designated by the DOE. This Act gave DOE and the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unprecedented authority to site interstate transmission lines in these NIETCs with little or no input from States or the public.

In his letter, Lt. Governor Carney writes that the designation of this corridor will create more dependence on heavily polluting sources of electricity, make local generation alternatives less attractive and redundant, and does nothing to address demand management and conservation.

"While there are no doubt some arguments for moving ahead … the arguments against doing so are compelling," the Lt. Governor writes. "We should not abandon the significant strides being made in Delaware and elsewhere to create energy alternatives that are cleaner, reliable and affordable for all our residents."

If DOE does not reconsider, the Lt. Governor said he will contact Delaware's Attorney General and the state's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and ask them to pursue legal action to prevent any action by DOE and FERC related to this proposal.

"If DOE continues on this course, we should use every option we have to stop it, including the courts," Carney said. "We are at a critical juncture in determining our energy policy in Delaware and the nation. We can't afford to make a mistake like this."

Pennsylvania has filed suit in U.S. District Court and several states are contemplating going to court to stop the NIETC.

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You can view a copy of the letter here. For more information, please see the corresponding News Journal article.