The Department of Energy’s (DOE) preliminary list of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs), designated large swaths of land across multiple states for potential transmission projects. The proposed corridors could impact millions of acres of private property, triggering concerns over federal overreach and property rights.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has called on Energy Secretary Chris Wright to halt the NIETC designation in Colorado, arguing that the process has lacked transparency and failed to involve local input. Boebert warned that the corridors, spanning up to 15 miles in width, threaten rural landowners, including farmers and ranchers in Baca, Prowers, and Kiowa Counties, by placing 325,000 acres under potential federal control. In New Mexico, the designation could affect nearly 2 million acres. She called the plan a “massive land grab” that prioritizes green energy policies over rural economies.

The DOE’s authority to designate NIETCs stems from the Federal Power Act, which aims to address energy grid capacity constraints. However, the law requires that states and local governments be consulted in the process—something that has not happened, according to critics. Most elected officials were unaware of the preliminary corridor map until citizens circulated it, raising alarm over the lack of state and local coordination.

Adding to concerns, Section 824p of the law grants the federal government the ability to override state decisions, potentially approving transmission projects even if a state rejects them. A coalition of state Farm Bureaus has already filed comments outlining legal violations, procedural flaws, and the severe impact on rural communities.

The Energy Department defended the designations, stating they are necessary to modernize the power grid and support clean energy transmission, citing increased electrification and extreme weather linked to climate change. The DOE has now entered phase three of its environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), where corridor sizes may be adjusted. However, rural advocates argue this review will not adequately consider local concerns unless counties and special districts initiate formal coordination efforts.

American Stewards, a group specializing in land-use policy, is urging local governments to invoke their “coordination” authority—a legal tool allowing states and counties to demand direct engagement with federal agencies. The group successfully used this strategy to halt the Trans Texas Corridor and is now advising local officials to act before the DOE finalizes its plans.

Boebert emphasized that she is fighting to ensure rural voices are heard, urging Secretary Wright to step in and halt the designation. Meanwhile, local leaders and advocacy groups are mobilizing to challenge the plan, insisting that private property rights and state authority be upheld.

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