Arkansas Congressional delegation cheers termination of DOE partnerships with Clean Line Energy Partners

The Arkansas congressional delegation recently released a joint statement welcoming the termination of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) partnership with Clean Line Energy Partners for development of the Plains and Eastern Clean Line Project.

The delegation includes U.S. Sens. John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) and U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR), French Hill (R-AR), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Bruce Westerman (R-AR).

“This is a victory for states’ rights and a victory for Arkansas,” the delegation said in their statement. “We are pleased that the Department of Energy responded favorably to our request to terminate this agreement. We support policies that put our nation on the path to energy independence, but they should not cost Arkansas landowners a voice in the approval process.”

Members sent a letter DOE Secretary Rick Perry earlier this year asking him to pause or terminate the project.

The Arkansas Congressional Delegation also introduced the Assuring Private Property Rights Over Vast Access to Lands (APPROVAL) Act in the past two Congresses, which would require DOE to obtain the approval of the governor and the state’s public service commission before acquiring property for Section 1222 transmission projects through the federal power of eminent domain.

The project was enabled by a law passed in 2005 that gave the federal government the power to use eminent domain authority for such transmission projects on which DOE partners with a private company.

The Plains and Eastern Clean Line Project would have been a 700-mile transmission line that delivered wind power from Oklahoma to Tennessee and other states.

The project faced objection from landowners who did want to have power lines on their properties. It also could not obtain a contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to buy the energy from the project.