Because of the energy bill …
The Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy and Interior are working to develop a joint proposal and Environmental Impact Statement for the utility corridor system. These corridors will accommodate pipelines, electrical transmission lines and distribution facilities on federal lands in the western United States.
Once the joint proposal is completed, the individual agencies will amend their respective land management plans to incorporate the utility corridor system.
Prior to the energy bill, each land management agency was undertaking environmental analysis for each transmission line or pipeline proposed to cross the lands it is tasked to manage. Most utility corridors cross the lands of several different agencies. Millions of dollars have been spent by the agencies to address these utility corridor proposals. Most proposals take several years to a decade before the multiple agencies complete their work.