By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Elected officials in the area continue to work to halt a proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor that would pass through Barton, Pawnee, and Russell counties. On Oct. 7, the Pawnee County Commission passed Resolution 2024-R-9 in regards to the federal government's involvement in the NIETC. Tuesday morning, the Barton County Commission followed suit with the same resolution. County Counselor Patrick Hoffman presented the resolution during Tuesday's meeting.
"One of the coordinating entities that helped us with that meeting that has been involved is the Kansas Natural Resources Coalition (KNRC), and they have drafted this model resolution for us to adopt," he said. "Pawnee County has adopted the same resolution, and I believe Russell County's adopting it, also."
Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson asked Hoffman if the Barton County resolution was exactly the same as the one passed in Pawnee County, saying there is strength in multiple governments having the same regulation.
"This is the same one that Pawnee County did," Hoffman said. "We had a discussion about it. The Pawnee County attorney recommended they adopt it. I talked to him about it so I'm recommending we adopt it as well."
Hoffman said most federal agency charters require those agencies to communicate with local governments about projects that would impact those areas. So far, that has not happened with the NIETC. A copy of the resolution will be mailed to the Department of Energy, and commissioners from all impacted counties are invited to a meeting hosted by the KNRC on Monday, Nov. 4 to further discuss the project.