Arkansas’s Congressional delegation today requested an extension for the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Plains & Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project.

In a letter sent to Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, the delegation requests more time for constituents to share their views and/or concerns, noting that the comment period was announced during the holiday season. 

“We understand the importance of infrastructure projects, including properly-sited transmission lines, but we also believe that potentially-impacted landowners and citizens must be treated fairly and they must have every opportunity to eliminate or minimize impacts before projects are considered.  In short, private property rights must be protected.  Accordingly, we request that you provide at least a 60-day extension of the comment period for the Draft EIS and Section 106 process on the Plains & Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project,” the letter states.

The letter was signed by both of Arkansas’s U.S. Senators, John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), as well as neighboring Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN).  All four Arkansas Congressmen – Rick Crawford (AR-1), French Hill (AR-2), Steve Womack (AR-3) and Bruce Westerman (AR-4) – also signed the letter. 

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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