Senate Majority leader Harry Reid is proposing to build power lines to carry renewable energy from remote places like solar and wind-power farms. The proposal would give the President authority to declare “renewable energy zones.”
States and the federal government would jointly develop “green” transmission plans for such areas. However, the proposal would allow the Federal government to use its power of eminent domain to take land and issue construction permits if a project were stalled or killed by state action. The proposal is expected to become part of a broader energy bill the Senate plans to take up in the coming weeks.