Department of Energy Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement for Largest Clean Energy Infrastructure Project in U.S. Plains & Eastern
Clean Line Reaches Significant Project Milestone

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project, marking an important step towards the construction of America's largest clean energy project. The multi-billion dollar infrastructure project is an approximately 700-mile overhead direct current (DC) transmission line that will create thousands of construction jobs in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee, support hundreds of manufacturing jobs in those states, and deliver 4,000 megawatts (MW) of low-cost clean power from the Oklahoma Panhandle region to customers in Arkansas, Tennessee and other states in the Mid-South and Southeast.

DOE's release of the Final EIS marks a key milestone for the Plains & Eastern Clean Line. The Final EIS presents a thorough analysis and comparison of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project, responds to public comments DOE received regarding the Draft EIS, and identifies DOE's participation in the project through Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) as its preferred alternative. Based on the analysis presented in the Final EIS, DOE identified a preferred route for the direct current transmission line. DOE also identified its preferred locations for a delivery converter station in Arkansas as well as a converter station and associated project facilities in Oklahoma. DOE's participation in the project would be limited to states in which Southwestern operates. Southwestern does not operate in the state of Tennessee, therefore, in the Final EIS DOE does not indicate a preference for the location of the DC transmission line or the converter station in Tennessee.

The Final EIS "did not identify widespread significant impacts as a result of construction or operations and maintenance of the Project." DOE also concluded that implementation of the environmental protection measures that Clean Line included as an integral part of the project would avoid or minimize the potential for significant environmental effects.

"The release of the Final EIS marks the culmination of more than five years of work and the consideration of thousands of stakeholder comments," said Michael Skelly, President of Clean Line Energy. "We are pleased to have reached this important project milestone and appreciate DOE's careful environmental review and analysis of the Plains & Eastern project. We look forward to DOE's Record of Decision."

The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will provide around one billion dollars of private investment in Oklahoma and will grow Oklahoma's clean energy economy by enabling several billions of dollars of investment in new renewable energy facilities in the Oklahoma Panhandle region. "We are very encouraged by the release of today's (11/4) Final EIS because it brings us one step closer to expanding our nation's interstate electric transmission backbone and meeting the growing demand for wind energy in the United States," said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. "The Plains & Eastern Clean Line is a critical component of this needed transmission expansion and will deliver low-cost, reliable wind power from the Oklahoma Panhandle, where an enormous amount of potential wind farm capacity is waiting to be developed, to Americans in the Mid-South and Southeast United States. The line by itself will carry four times more electricity than the Hoover Dam generates, so this is a very big development indeed in American clean energy."

In addition to identifying a preferred location for the transmission line and other project facilities, DOE confirmed inclusion of a delivery converter station in Pope County, Arkansas as part of the project. This facility will deliver 500 MW of low-cost, clean power to more than 160,000 Arkansas homes each year. The converter station represents a direct investment of over $100 million dollars in Arkansas. David Holt, President of the Consumer Energy Alliance said, "Modern infrastructure projects like the Plains & Eastern Clean Line are critical to ensuring an affordable, reliable power supply for energy consumers here in Arkansas and across the Southeast United States. This project will not only deliver low-cost clean energy to Arkansans, but will create jobs and manufacturing opportunities here, as well. We are pleased to see this critical infrastructure project come closer to fruition."

Arkansas landowner Louis Schmoll added, "The Plains & Eastern project will be good for our community. The county will receive yearly payments that will help the schools here that are in financial distress and landowners like myself will be fairly compensated. While some people may not like change, I see it as progress; Arkansas needs more low-cost clean energy, not only now, but for our future generations, and this project will make that possible."

The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will also deliver 3,500 MW of low-cost renewable power to a delivery converter station located near Memphis, Tennessee and interconnect to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). This interconnection will allow delivered energy to reach millions of TVA customers and other consumers throughout the Southeast. "The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry and our industrial division, the Tennessee Manufacturers Association, appreciate this significant review by the Department of Energy on behalf of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line and look forward to seeing the project continue to progress towards completion," said Catherine Glover, President of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry. "Tennessee is well-positioned to be a clean energy leader, and this important infrastructure project will help attract new business investment and spur job creation in the
state."

Clean Line expects a Record of Decision (ROD) will include DOE's decision on whether and how DOE and Southwestern Power Administration would participate in the project and the agency's decision regarding the preferred locations for project facilities in Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Final EIS states, "DOE's identification of a preferred alternative in the Final EIS does not guarantee that such an alternative will be the alternative selected in DOE's ROD. Rather, identification of the preferred alternative serves to give the public notice as to which alternative DOE currently favors." Clean Line anticipates that DOE may issue a ROD in late 2015, no sooner than 30 days after the publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. More information can be found on DOE's website: http://www.energy.gov/oe/section-1222-program-proposed-plains-eastern-clean-line-project-frequently-asked-questions.

Clean Line representatives are available to answer questions and meet with stakeholders in person. Copies of the Final EIS are available in public libraries in project-area communities, and the Final EIS is available for download from DOE's project website at: www.PlainsAndEasternEIS.com.

For more information regarding the Plains & Eastern Clean Line project, including detailed maps and contact information, please visit Clean Line's project website at www.PlainsAndEasternCleanLine.com.

About Clean Line Energy Partners:

Clean Line's mission is to connect abundant, renewable energy resources to areas that have a high demand for clean, reliable energy. Clean Line is developing a series of transmission projects to move renewable energy to market. For more information please visit www.CleanLineEnergy.com.