The Property Rights Report
Ranchers and Counties Protest Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor
April 2025
Ranchers and Counties Protest Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor
The article, “Cattle ranchers worried about proposed transmission line corridor” by Cathy Cook, published in the Albuquerque Journal, covers the controversy surrounding the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor. Also see the article, “Comments on transmission corridor extended” by Ron Warnick, published in the Eastern New Mexico News. The claim is the initiative will facilitate wind and solar energy transmission across parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma, potentially boosting New Mexico’s renewable energy output.
The Endangered Species Act Has Become a Fraud
Policy expert and former Interior Department official Rob Gordon says it’s time for some honesty regarding the Endangered Species Act. The fraud is now so bad, ESA has become “a powerful weapon for thwarting human activities and taking others’ property in all but title.” The infamous snail darter “is actually the same species as the stargazing darter, and should never have been listed as endangered.” One listed plant, Braunton’s milk vetch, became “weaponized with exaggerated peril to exact a price or stymie human activities at bureaucratic whim.” Throughout ESA administration, one finds “[m]assive population miscounts, range underestimations, and threat overestimations....” One outrageous miscount originally put the number of Ute ladies’-tresses at 3,000 individual plants over seven small areas. But so many more were discovered, it was apparent by 1996 the ‘threatened’ designation was a complete mistake. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has only recently proposed to delist the plant, claiming it has ‘recovered’. However, Gordon’s research has uncovered “dozens and dozens” of ESA listings that were erroneous, and a pattern of the agency later falsely claiming the listings had ‘recovered’. Much of the ESA exercise at this point is completely dishonest, but persists to justify arbitrary regulations and power grabs by the federal government.
The Real Danger of the EPA’s CO₂ Endangerment Finding
An April 17, 2025 article by CFACT’s Craig Rucker published on Newsmax, critiques the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding (EF), which classified carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a pollutant that endangers public health and welfare. This designation has served as the basis for numerous regulations under both the Obama and Biden administrations, targeting emissions from energy, transportation, appliances, and more.
Legal Background:
If you know of any Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) promulgated that should be rescinded there is a deregulation suggestion form at Regulations.gov that can be filled out and submitted. One section of the form seeks justification for the rollback stating, "Explain the reasons for the rescission.”
You should provide as much detail as possible. Possible reasons for rescission include, but are not limited to: (1) the regulation is inconsistent with a statute; (2) the regulation is inconsistent with the Constitution; (3) the regulation’s costs outweigh its benefits; (4) the regulation no longer reflects the current state of technology; or (5) the regulation is bad policy, unreasoned, or unsound.
This is a simple opportunity especially for those who engaged substantively on Biden-era CFR changes or additions that broke from statute or were unreasonable. The more forms submitted, the better able this administration will be able to roll them back.
TrumpWatch
In Other News
- from the Land Rights Network
- [email protected]
Ranchers and Counties Protest Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor
April 2025
Ranchers and Counties Protest Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor
The article, “Cattle ranchers worried about proposed transmission line corridor” by Cathy Cook, published in the Albuquerque Journal, covers the controversy surrounding the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor. Also see the article, “Comments on transmission corridor extended” by Ron Warnick, published in the Eastern New Mexico News. The claim is the initiative will facilitate wind and solar energy transmission across parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma, potentially boosting New Mexico’s renewable energy output.
- Purpose of the Corridor: The DOE claims it aims to eliminate infrastructure bottlenecks that limit wind and solar energy generation in New Mexico. The corridor would support future transmission line development and help address growing national energy demands, the argument goes.
- Political Uncertainty: Under the Trump administration, which has scaled back renewable energy initiatives and laid off DOE employees, the project’s future is uncertain.
- Local Opposition: Ranchers, represented by the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, are concerned about the potential for eminent domain—the government taking private land for public use. They worry the corridor’s designation could make it easier to seize land for infrastructure such as substations and battery storage.
- Counties have made repeated requests of DOE to meet and explain the proposal. The DOE claims they don’t have funding to travel to speak with New Mexico counties.
- Ongoing Process: The DOE is in the third of four phases—public engagement—and continues to seek feedback despite closing a formal 60-day comment period. Concerns about environmental impacts, military operations, and local land use are also being reviewed.
The Endangered Species Act Has Become a Fraud
Policy expert and former Interior Department official Rob Gordon says it’s time for some honesty regarding the Endangered Species Act. The fraud is now so bad, ESA has become “a powerful weapon for thwarting human activities and taking others’ property in all but title.” The infamous snail darter “is actually the same species as the stargazing darter, and should never have been listed as endangered.” One listed plant, Braunton’s milk vetch, became “weaponized with exaggerated peril to exact a price or stymie human activities at bureaucratic whim.” Throughout ESA administration, one finds “[m]assive population miscounts, range underestimations, and threat overestimations....” One outrageous miscount originally put the number of Ute ladies’-tresses at 3,000 individual plants over seven small areas. But so many more were discovered, it was apparent by 1996 the ‘threatened’ designation was a complete mistake. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has only recently proposed to delist the plant, claiming it has ‘recovered’. However, Gordon’s research has uncovered “dozens and dozens” of ESA listings that were erroneous, and a pattern of the agency later falsely claiming the listings had ‘recovered’. Much of the ESA exercise at this point is completely dishonest, but persists to justify arbitrary regulations and power grabs by the federal government.
The Real Danger of the EPA’s CO₂ Endangerment Finding
An April 17, 2025 article by CFACT’s Craig Rucker published on Newsmax, critiques the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding (EF), which classified carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a pollutant that endangers public health and welfare. This designation has served as the basis for numerous regulations under both the Obama and Biden administrations, targeting emissions from energy, transportation, appliances, and more.
Legal Background:
- The author blames earlier court rulings like Chevron v. NRDC (1984) and Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) for enabling agency overreach by allowing the EPA to interpret laws broadly.
- More recent rulings, West Virginia v. EPA (2022) and Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024), restricted this deference and emphasized that major regulatory actions require clear congressional authorization.
- Rucker argues the EF overstates the dangers of CO₂ and ignores its natural and beneficial roles (e.g., plant growth, supporting life).
- He claims the EPA used biased science, ignored the Information Quality Act, and relied on flawed models that dismiss natural climate factors like solar and oceanic cycles.
- Rucker portrays the EF as a threat to economic freedom and living standards, allowing unelected bureaucrats to control vast sectors of the economy.
- The author urges that the EF should be nullified, stating it lacks both scientific integrity and legal foundation.
If you know of any Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) promulgated that should be rescinded there is a deregulation suggestion form at Regulations.gov that can be filled out and submitted. One section of the form seeks justification for the rollback stating, "Explain the reasons for the rescission.”
You should provide as much detail as possible. Possible reasons for rescission include, but are not limited to: (1) the regulation is inconsistent with a statute; (2) the regulation is inconsistent with the Constitution; (3) the regulation’s costs outweigh its benefits; (4) the regulation no longer reflects the current state of technology; or (5) the regulation is bad policy, unreasoned, or unsound.
This is a simple opportunity especially for those who engaged substantively on Biden-era CFR changes or additions that broke from statute or were unreasonable. The more forms submitted, the better able this administration will be able to roll them back.
TrumpWatch
- Trump administration proposes to restore original definition of ‘harm’ - injury to species - in Endangered Species Act regulation, scaling back expansive agency interpretations that justify regulation of habitat (see proposed rule here)
- Trump administration cutting funding for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which produces the National Climate Assessment, linchpin for keeping federal climate change dollars flowing
- Trump orders “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production”
- Native American Alaskan group applauds Trump for lifting drilling restrictions, says Biden ignored native communities
In Other News
- Told you we were vulnerable - China Halts Rare Earth Exports to U.S., Threatening Supply Chains for Cars, Semiconductors, and Aerospace Industries
- Our military runs on strategic minerals. Thus, the federal land lock-ups in the American West over the last few decades have brought us face-to-face with a national security issue.
- The federal government owns a lot of land (e.g., 85 percent of Nevada) and, as the late Democrat Senator Harry Reid believed, a lot of it should be sold
- Republicans Probe Secret Biden-Era Settlement With Green Groups To Shut Down Family Ranches
- Supreme Court turns away youth climate suit for lack of standing
- Conservation easements claim another victim - 4th-generation farmer in New York follows a professional forester’s advice, then got sued by predatory environmental group for supposedly violating the terms of the easement