Cattle ranchers worried about proposed transmission line corridor

A Department of Energy (DOE) proposed transmission corridor could make New Mexico a wind and solar energy powerhouse, but the Trump administration’s de-emphasis on renewable energy, and concerns from local cattle ranchers, could imperil the program.

The DOE has been accepting public comments on the proposed Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor, a five- to 15-mile wide route running from southern Colorado to southern New Mexico, crossing a small portion of western Oklahoma, which could be designated as a path for future electric energy transmission lines. The designation is in phase three of four — public engagement. Phase four is when the agency could actually designate a new corridor.

But the future of the program is up in the air. President Donald Trump on his first day in office signed an executive order that attempts to slow the growth of wind power by requiring more regulatory hurdles for approval, and issued a 60-day suspension of all off- and onshore renewable energy projects. “We’re not going to do the wind thing,” Trump said after his inauguration on Jan. 20 during a rally. “Big, ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood.” Project 2025, Trump’s policy doctrine for much of the overhauls now being enacted, calls for the elimination of such corridors for the purposes of renewable energy, and the Trump administration has already reportedly laid off 2,000 DOE employees. At the same time, the project has been met with some local concern from cattle ranchers worried about the impacts of eminent domain.

Eastern New Mexico is a prime location for wind energy production, but old or lacking transmission infrastructure is a bottleneck to producing more renewable energy in the state, according to Reilly White, an associate professor of finance at the University of New Mexico. In 2024, New Mexico produced 4,000 megawatts of wind energy, almost 4% of total U.S. production of wind, White said. But the potential capacity in New Mexico is significantly higher — almost 653,000 megawatts.

Corridor designation could help eliminate that bottleneck by incentivizing more transmission projects and create more energy security for New Mexico as demand for energy continues to increase nationally, White said.

“DOE continues to work to ensure robust public engagement and transparency,” on the project, the department said via an unsigned email, “... including meaningful and effective engagement strategies.” The 60-day public comment period closed Friday, but DOE is continuing to gather community feedback from yet-to-be scheduled in-person and virtual public meetings, it said.

However, the agency did not provide a spokesperson to answer questions, or respond to specific questions about the environmental review process and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association’s concerns about eminent domain.

A National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) is designated by the DOE in areas where consumers are harmed by a lack of transmission infrastructure and developing new such foundations would advance national interests. It is supposed to streamline the permitting and regulatory processes that come with building new transmission lines.

Two transmission projects, the Heartland Spirit Connector by NextEra Energy Transmission LLC and the Southline Phase 3 project by Grid United, are within the potential corridor, but the Energy Department is not involved in developing either, according to the unsigned email.

“When that transmission infrastructure is input in a meaningful way, it can result in cost efficiencies in the system. It can help keep energy costs low. It can help accommodate and prevent things like blackouts in the future,” White said.

Meanwhile, cattle ranchers in the region are worried that corridor approval could make it easier for future transmission projects to take their land via eminent domain.

“If they go in and put in substations, battery storage, transmission lines, pipelines, if they have enough infrastructure that they’re wanting to put into it, they may deem that it’s just easier to just take possession of it, and if they take possession of it, then you’re talking lots and lots of families affected,” said Bronson Corn, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association.

The Cattle Growers Association does not necessarily oppose transmission line projects but is concerned about the large area of land included in the corridor plan, Corn said. Many members have ranches that would fall in the path of the proposed corridor, including large ranches over 100,000 acres and small operations of less than 2,000 acres, Corn said.

The Cattle Growers Association and counties in eastern New Mexico have been holding town hall meetings, including in Ruidoso, Clovis and Artesia, to speak with communities about the proposed corridor.

Along with the Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor, the Energy Department is in the public comment phase for two other potential corridors: the Lake Erie-Canada Corridor, which includes parts of Lake Erie and Pennsylvania; and the Tribal Energy Access Corridor, which includes central parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and five tribal reservations.

The Energy Department is “aware of potential impacts to military testing, training, and operations,” from the corridors, according to a December news release.

Cannon Air Force Base is in Curry County and Holloman Air Force Base is in Otero County, both of which the proposed Southwest corridor would run through. One branch of the proposed corridor would end at the White Sands Missile Range property.

Cathy Cook is a news reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@abqjournal.com.