Ranking Member Khanna Joined by Democratic Lawmakers to Raise Alarm Over DOE Cancellation of Transmission Corridors, Warns Decision Could Undermine U.S. Manufacturing and[...]

Ranking Member Khanna Joined by Democratic Lawmakers to Raise Alarm Over DOE Cancellation of Transmission Corridors, Warns Decision Could Undermine U.S. Manufacturing and Competitiveness with China

WASHINGTON - Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, joined Rep. André Carson (D-IN), Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA), to raise serious concerns about the Department of Energy's decision to abandon three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs), warning that the move could undermine U.S. manufacturing, increase electricity costs for American families, and weaken the nation's ability to compete with China.

In a [democrats-selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026.10.06-letter-to-doe-on-nietc-cancellations.pdf]letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday, the lawmakers questioned the Department's August 12 decision not to move forward with the Lake Erie-Canada Corridor, Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor, and Tribal Energy Access Corridor. He also pressed the Department to explain how it plans to address the nation's urgent transmission needs and accelerate permitting for critical grid infrastructure.

The letter comes as the Department's own July 2026 draft National Transmission Needs Study found a "pressing need" for additional transmission infrastructure driven in part by expanding domestic manufacturing, large industrial loads, data centers, and a growing economy.

"Arbitrary cancellations like these set back the U.S. in the strategic race with the CCP, hamstring a U.S. manufacturing buildout, and drive up costs for American families," the lawmakers wrote.

The Members further raised concerns about the impact of inadequate transmission capacity on American consumers. As electricity rates continue to rise, transmission constraints are driving up wholesale power costs and limit the ability of regions to bring new generation online, putting additional pressure on families and businesses already struggling with higher energy bills, the lawmakers wrote.

The Members are calling on Secretary Wright to provide detailed answers to the following by October 26, 2026:

• Please provide a detailed account of any analysis conducted by the Department of the opportunity cost of cancelling the Lake Erie-Canada Corridor, the Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor, and the Tribal Energy Access Corridor, including projected effects on ratepayer costs, grid reliability, and industrial electricity supply in the affected regions.
• Did the Department assess the impact of these cancellations on potential manufacturing and energy-intensive development in the regions associated with these cancelled corridors? Please provide a detailed account of that analysis.
• How does the Department reconcile these cancellations with the findings of its own July 2026 draft National Transmission Needs Study?
• What stakeholder feedback did the Department evaluate when deciding to cancel these NIETC designations and did the Department engage with utilities, regional transmission organizations, or the North American Electric Reliability Corporation?
• What steps, if any, will the Department take to address the transmission needs in these three corridors, or in other transmission constrained areas across the country (especially those identified in the 2026 draft National Transmission Needs Study)?

Read the full letter to Energy Secretary Wright HERE.

###