WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- The Department of Energy will no longer pursue the Midwest-Plains and Plains-Southwest National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor through Kansas. Earlier this year, Kansas residents met to discuss the proposed corridor, expressing concern that their land would be taken under Imminent Domain to build it. The corridor would have connected with the already approved Grain Belt Express, linking Kansas to a power transmission line stretching east through Missouri and Illinois to western Indiana. Path of the Grain Belt Express, KSN Graphic The DOE announced Monday that it had dropped that plan but is going ahead with the Lake Erie-Canada Corridor, the Southwest Grid Connector Corridor involving Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, and the Tribal Energy Access Corridor in the Dakotas and Nebraska. Flint Hills restaurant at historic ranch to shut down The Department of Energy says the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor's intent is to address the harm created by the lack of energy transmission infrastructure, including higher energy costs, frequent and prolonged power outages, and delayed access to energy due to high demand caused by weather extremes. Kansas lawmakers say they welcomed the announcement from the Department of Energy. “Kansans made it clear from the very beginning that we were not interested in the federal government seizing our private land,” Rep. Tracey Mann said in a news release. “I heard countless concerns from Kansans who were displeased with the Department of Energy’s overly vague proposal and the lack of engagement with landowners. I worked to force the Department of Energy to provide clarity and introduced legislation to prevent the federal government from using taxpayer dollars to seize any private property for the corridor. I also made it clear that the federal government should not override decisions made by Kansas state regulators who are more directly impacted by the proposal. Today’s announcement is a huge win for Kansans, and I’m glad our voices were heard in stopping this federal overreach.” “Kansans have made their voices heard - the Department of Energy has withdrawn its proposal and there will no longer be a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor across Kansas,” says Sen. Jerry Moran. “This is great news for the impacted landowners and farmers and ranchers. I am grateful to the Kansans who partnered with me to send a clear message to the federal government that it cannot take action to overrule state regulators. These are the decisions that should be left up to Kansans, not Washington.” “Kansans living in the path of this proposed transmission line corridor spoke loud and clear: they do not want the federal government dictating what happens in their backyard,” Sen. Roger Marshall said. “Kansans should always determine what is built in Kansas, not federal bureaucrats. This proposal represented a dangerous overreach of federal authority, turning our backyards into pathways for delivering energy to the coastal elites. We immediately went to the DOE and fought back as soon as we heard of this project. We are glad to see Kansan's voices were heard at the highest levels. ”  “I am pleased to see the U.S. Department of Energy has announced it will not designate any portion of Kansas as a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC),” says Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland. “For nearly two years, Kansas Farm Bureau has fought the NIETC rules and then both of the proposed NIETC designations in Kanas because it would override the authority of state regulators and give developers an unfair edge in negotiations with landowners. I am grateful for the leadership of Rep. Tracey Mann and Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall to help keep NIETC designations out of Kansas. I am also thankful for our members and others who provided valuable feedback throughout the process and secured a huge victory for landowners across the state.” In September, all three lawmakers introduced legislation to block the department from using tax dollars to purchase land along the proposed corridor. In addition, Mann sent a letter to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, urging her to address Kansas residents' concerns about the corridor.