Womack raises objections to announced public-private energy transmission infrastructure projects

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) pushed back on Friday against an announced partnership between the Department of Energy (DoE) and Clean Line Energy on a multistate energy transmission project.

The partnership marks the first time that the DoE has partnered with a private entity on a clean energy infrastructure project. Public-private partnerships were authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Womack joined other members of the Arkansas congressional delegation in objecting to the DoE’s partnership with Clean Line Energy in a letter to DoE officials.

“Today marks a new page in an era of unprecedented executive overreach as the Department of Energy seeks to usurp the will of Arkansans and form a partnership with a private company — the same private company previously denied rights to operate in our state by the Arkansas Public Service Commission,” the lawmakers wrote. “Despite years of pushback on the local level and continuous communications between our delegation and (Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz), DoE has decided to forgo the will of the natural state and take over the historic ability of state-level transmission control through this announcement.”

Womack introduced the Assuring Private Property Rights Over Vast Access to Land (APPROVAL Act), H.R. 3062, last year to grant states the right to approve or reject energy transmission projects before the federal government exercises power to take private property. U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) introduced a Senate version of the bill.

“We now will begin the process of careful review over DOE’s decision and will continue to address our concerns through any avenue necessary,” the legislators wrote. “Section 1222 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 establishes specific conditions that must be met before this authority is used, and we expect the department to release all details of their review so that our staff and congressional investigators will be able to continue the process of oversight. It is our firm belief that the DOE has overstepped its bounds, and reversing this decision through the passage of the APPROVAL Act remains a top priority.”

In addition to Womack and Boozman, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR) signed the letter.