Yellow tape marks approximate point, on Route 209 near Cummins Hill Road, where PPL's proposed Route A would cross

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) expressed continued disappointment in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision to finalize its National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) for the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes 52 out of the state’s 67 counties.

Monroe, Pike and Wayne could all be impacted by proposed electric transmission lines.  Recent focus has been on a line PPL would run through one of three possible routes.  Two of the routes would cut across Pike County.

In testimony submitted to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Commissioner Tyrone J. Christy called the implementation of the plan outlined in Section 1221 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 “flawed.” 

“The statute is flawed because it is based upon the unproven assumption that State commissions and State judicial systems cannot be trusted to properly review transmission siting applications and that federal oversight is needed over all state siting proceedings,” said Christy.  “Additionally, Section 1221 gives transmission project owners nearly unfettered discretion to pursue their interests either in State courts or at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, while giving other parties no choice of forum at all.  This open invitation to forum shop is contrary to traditional notions of justice and due process.” 

Section 1221 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 directed the DOE to conduct studies of electric transmission congestion every three years, and authorized the federal agency to designate NIETCs based on those studies.

Christy also criticized the DOE of its initial designation of the corridor, stating that the designation constitutes three quarters of Pennsylvania, including many state parks and game lands, as well as historical and archeological sites, which are areas where no significant transmission currently exists.  The comments were filed as part of the Department’s considerations of NIETC designations.

On July 6, 2007, the PUC filed comments with the DOE calling the plan overly broad and unreasonable.