If a Federal Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California approves a Settlement Agreement, Utility Corridors designated as a result of Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) may be rerouted over federal lands in the 11 contiguous western states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. In a lawsuit brought by a coalition of conservation groups, a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) issued by the Department of Energy, the US Forest Service and the BLM, was challenged for jeopardizing sensitive environmental areas and overlooking renewable energy sources. The Settlement Agreement with the Department of Energy, US Forest Service and the BLM provides that the PEIS designated corridors will be periodically reviewed and changes to the approved corridors are likely. Operators may not rely on the designation of corridors in the 2008 PEIS when planning projects. The EPAct provides for a similar designation for the remaining 39 states, but despite the passage of the deadline, no PEIS for the Eastern States has been issued to date. Click here for the Settlement Agreement under review.