Emerging Issues
3/19/08 Policy Update: Sign Senator Casey’s Petition on Transmission Corridors
Senator Casey (PA) has launched a nationwide petition on his website against the Department of Energy’s implementation of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor designation. NIETC designation affects all or portions of 8 states in the Mid-Atlantic and 2 in the Southwest, and is quickly becoming a national program. The petition is not specific to Pennsylvania. If you are from PA, please send Senator Casey a thank you for being a leader on this important issue.
See the petition and a useful summary of the issues, maps and news articles
Responding to Climate Change
Global climate change is both a challenge and an opportunity for the land conservation community. Since natural landscapes sequester carbon dioxide, land trusts can be part of the solution. Meanwhile, new funding sources generated by climate legislation may help land trusts adapt to the challenge of a changing landscape.
Electric Transmission Corridors
The 2005 Energy Bill allows the U.S. Department of Energy to declare “National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors” across broad regions of the country. This designation provides utilities federal condemnation authority to construct transmission lines, is exempt from environmental review, and preempts traditional state regulation of transmission lines and local land use laws. Learn more about how you can counter this extraordinary threat to land conservation.
