Trump administration cancels major electric transmission corridors intended to curb costs, strengthen grid

(WASHINGTON – August 13, 2026) The Trump administration canceled three major electric transmission corridors that would help connect and supply power over long distances in the Southwest, Great Plains and Mid-Atlantic-Canada regions. 

Known as “National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors” (NIETCs), these corridors connect areas of the country previously identified by the Department of Energy as having a high need for new interstate transmission lines, benefitting communities facing high electricity costs and unreliable power. Critically, long-distance transmission lines built within these corridors can be permitted more quickly – overcoming what can be a more-than-decade-long process to get a long-distance transmission line built.

“The Trump administration is making it harder to deliver power at a moment when growing demand and extreme weather are straining reliability and driving up costs,” said Ted Kelly, Director and Lead Counsel for U.S. Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund. “The Department of Energy’s own study found that the country needs these corridors to build valuable long-distance transmission lines and provide more affordable, reliable power to the communities that need it the most.”

Despite Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s claim that these corridors are ineffective, DOE’s own Transmission Needs Study finds that NIETC designation empowers regulators to “use valuable federal financing and permitting tools to spur construction or modification of transmission facilities.”