As of August 12, 2026, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will not move forward with the designation of 3 proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) that the Biden administration selected for review in 2024. [1] The release stated that the corridors were selected to advance that administration’s “Green New Scam” agenda. [2] Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that transmission policy must “serve the American people, not special interests or a climate-alarmist agenda.” The release alleged that the current designation framework proved ineffective in strengthening grid reliability and reducing electricity costs. The 3 canceled corridors include the Lake Erie-Canada corridor, the Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor, and the Tribal Energy Access corridor. While Wright said the current designation framework had proven ineffective, DOE’s National Transmission Needs Study from July said that NIETC designation enables DOE and FERC to use valuable federal financing and permitting tools to speed up construction or modification of transmission facilities within a NIETC.
[2] https://www.energy.gov/documents/national-transmission-needs-study-draft-july-2026