U.S. Representative Tracey Mann and Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall have proposed a bill to stop the federal government from using taxpayer money to take private land for a new National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) in Kansas. The Department of Energy recently suggested using the NIETC to build transmission lines across Kansas, but this would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission more power to override state decisions.

The bill aims to protect Kansas landowners by ensuring that no federal funds can be used to seize land and that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cannot overrule state regulators. The lawmakers argue that decisions about local land should be made by Kansans, not federal officials. The Kansas Farm Bureau supports the bill, emphasizing the need for fair negotiations and the importance of state oversight.

“Kansans have made it clear to the federal government that their land is not for sale,” said Sen. Moran. “The NIETC proposal has been problematic from the start since the DOE permitted only 45 days for folks to submit their comments regarding the proposed transmission line. Sen. Marshall, Congressman Mann and I introduced legislation, the passage of which would prohibit the Department of Energy from trampling on the rights of Kansas landowners or usurping the authority of state regulators in order to build a transmission line across Kansas. These decisions should be left up to Kansans, not Washington.”