The Department of Energy has officially canceled the controversial electric transmission corridor in Oklahoma following strong opposition from local officials. The project, known as the Delta-Plains National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor, had raised concerns among landowners about the potential use of federal eminent domain.
According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office announcement, Attorney General Gentner Drummond and incoming state House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, the 18-mile-wide corridor is no longer a concern for locals. The two had been vocal in their dissent, engaging with senior department officials, which led to the project's dismissal. "I am very thankful that countless Oklahoma landowners no longer live under the tyrannical threat of federal eminent domain," Drummond said.
Drummond sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm just one day before the cancellation, expressed strong opposition to the proposed corridor, which would have stretched from the western panhandle to the Arkansas border. In the letter, the Attorney General highlighted the negative impact it would have on property owners' livelihoods and described the threat of federal eminent domain as a classic case of federal overreach.
Mirroring Drummond's sentiments, Speaker-elect Hilbert's opposition played a significant role in influencing the Department of Energy's decision. “Speaker Hilbert’s leadership in this issue was truly impactful, and the property owners in his district and all along the proposed corridor should be grateful for his efforts,” Drummond said in the same announcement. The corridor was part of several proposals across the U.S. to expand the nation’s power grid, but local resistance led to its cancellation in Oklahoma.
