PUBLIC LAW 109–58—AUG. 8, 2005
119 STAT. 951
‘‘(A) facilitate siting of future electric energy transmission facilities within those States; and ‘‘(B) carry out the electric energy transmission siting responsibilities of those States. ‘‘(2) The Secretary may provide technical assistance to regional transmission siting agencies established under this subsection. ‘‘(3) The regional transmission siting agencies shall have the authority to review, certify, and permit siting of transmission facilities, including facilities in national interest electric transmission corridors (other than facilities on property owned by the United States). ‘‘(4) The Commission shall have no authority to issue a permit for the construction or modification of an electric transmission facility within a State that is a party to a compact, unless the members of the compact are in disagreement and the Secretary makes, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, the finding described in subsection (b)(1)(C). ‘‘(j) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—(1) Except as specifically provided, nothing in this section affects any requirement of an environmental law of the United States, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). ‘‘(2) Subsection (h)(6) shall not apply to any unit of the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, the National Trails System, the National Wilderness Preservation System, or a National Monument. ‘‘(k) ERCOT.—This section shall not apply within the area referred to in section 212(k)(2)(A).’’. (b) REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON CORRIDORS AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY ON FEDERAL LANDS.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality shall submit to Congress a joint report identifying— (1)(A) all existing designated transmission and distribution corridors on Federal land and the status of work related to proposed transmission and distribution corridor designations under title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.); (B) the schedule for completing the work; (C) any impediments to completing the work; and (D) steps that Congress could take to expedite the process; (2)(A) the number of pending applications to locate transmission facilities on Federal land; (B) key information relating to each such facility; (C) how long each application has been pending; (D) the schedule for issuing a timely decision as to each facility; and (E) progress in incorporating existing and new such rightsof-way into relevant land use and resource management plans or the equivalent of those plans; and (3)(A) the number of existing transmission and distribution rights-of-way on Federal land that will come up for renewal within the following 5-, 10-, and 15-year periods; and (B) a description of how the Secretaries plan to manage the renewals.
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