Eddy County commissioners back resolution opposing DOE transmission corridor, seek cooperating-agency role

The Eddy County Board of County Commissioners voted to adopt Resolution R-25-18, formally asking the U.S. Department of Energy to treat the county as a cooperating agency in the agency’s review of a proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor and stating opposition to the corridor as published in the Federal Register.

County Manager Ballard told commissioners the DOE notice, published Dec. 16 with comments due Feb. 14, proposes an ambiguous corridor alignment across southeast New Mexico and allows widths that could range from about 5 miles to 25 miles or larger. Ballard said the notice does not explain how DOE chose the route, that the agency did not consult local governments, and that the corridor could host generation or storage projects—such as wind, solar or battery facilities—on private land. He said DOE expressed a preference for siting projects on private property and referenced the potential use of eminent domain.

The resolution asks DOE to recognize Eddy County as a cooperating agency under the National Environmental Policy Act so local plans and policies can be considered in project planning. Commissioners and other meeting participants raised concerns about the lack of in‑person outreach (DOE held an informational webinar for the Southwest corridor), the short public comment window over the winter holidays and the potential economic effects on ranching, farming, potash, recreation and oil-and-gas operations if a broad corridor were designated.

County staff and residents discussed several specific risks commissioners said merit DOE review: uncertain corridor width that prevents local planning; possible eminent-domain actions that could affect surface and subsurface rights; and the prospect that unspecified “projects” within the corridor could alter land‑use patterns and county revenue streams tied to oil and gas. Commissioners and local stakeholders reported outreach organized by the Association of Counties and local groups; county staff said neighboring counties including Chaves and Lea were preparing or considering similar responses.

The board approved the resolution by roll call. Voting recorded in the meeting transcript: Cordova — Yes; Bowen — Yes; Carlson — Yes; Rose — Yes; Klein — Yes. The resolution text included 14 numbered comments and concluded with explicit opposition to the DOE corridor designation while noting the county is not opposed to reasonable transmission line siting outside the corridor designation process.

County staff said they will distribute instructions for submitting public comments to the Federal Register notice (commenters must reference the Federal Register docket number) and encouraged residents to file individualized comments rather than identical form letters so each submission is counted separately.

The county manager and commissioners urged other counties and affected landowners to review the DOE notice and submit comments before the deadline. No follow‑up actions with binding legal effect were adopted at the meeting; the resolution expresses the board’s position and asks for cooperating‑agency status and further consultation.

The board’s action reflects local concern about possible large-scale land designations and the county’s interest in being involved in federal environmental review processes that could affect private property and local industries.