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6. Request for Comments on
Designation of National Corridors and on This Study
6.1. Request for Comments
Concerning Designation
of National Corridors
The Department is considering designation of National
Corridors to facilitate relief of transmission
congestion. The Department is focusing its attention
on, and preliminarily believes it may be most
appropriate to consider designation of one or more
National Corridors to help relieve transmission
capacity constraints or congestion in, two Critical
Congestion Areas—the Mid-Atlantic coastal area
from metropolitan New York southward to northern
Virginia, and Southern California. 65 However, the
Department also will consider designating National
Corridors to relieve constraints or congestion in the
Congestion Areas of Concern and Conditional Congestion
Areas identified in Chapter 5 of this study.
Interested parties are invited to offer comments on
alternatives and recommendations. After evaluating
the comments received, the Department will issue a
report in which it may designate National Corridors,
seek additional information, or take other action.
In determining whether and where to designate National
Corridors, the Department will not be exercising
transmission planning functions. In order to
make sound decisions, however, DOE will need
many kinds of information, including transmission
planning information pertinent to affected geographic
areas. Accordingly, the Department seeks
responses to the questions set forth below from the
public, affected state energy planning agencies,
public utility commissions, regional transmission
organizations (RTOs), independent system operators
(ISOs), regional reliability councils, utilities,
environmental organizations, citizen groups, business
organizations, and any other interested parties.
In evaluating where to set the geographic boundaries
for a National Corridor, DOE will seek to balance
the relevant interests. Among other things, a
National Corridor must be tailored to the transmission
constraints or congestion giving rise to the designation
while also being large enough so as not to
unduly restrict the choice of solutions, or unduly
constrain potential siting and permitting activities
by FERC under section 216(b).
While comments are invited on any and all aspects
of the study and the potential designation of National
Corridors, DOE particularly requests that
commenters respond to the following three basic
questions:
1. Would designation of one or more National
Corridors in these areas be appropriate and
in the public interest In answering this question,
commenters should address the following:
A. Does a major transmission congestion
problem exist Commenters should provide
additional details and analysis concerning
congestion in the particular Critical Congestion
Areas, Congestion Areas of Concern, or
Conditional Congestion Areas identified
in Chapter 5. Describe the population and
economy affected by the congestion problem
today and explain the future impacts of
the congestion and transmission constraints
(e.g., with year-specific and scenario projections)
if the constraints are not remedied
in a timely fashion. Describe the current and
projected reliability and economic impacts
of the transmission constraints.
65 The Department notes that Critical Congestion Areas may not be the only areas for which it will be appropriate to designate National Corridors.
The Department is focusing on the Critical Congestion Areas at this time because it regards actions to address their needs as especially urgent,
given the long lead-times typically associated with transmission projects and the social and economic adversities associated with inadequate
transmission capacity.
U.S. Department of Energy / National Electric Transmission Congestion Study / 2006 59