The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created a process under which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could issue a permit for new transmission in areas designated as National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) by the Department of Energy (DOE). Due to public questioning of the two most recent designations, DOE has issued orders granting rehearing requests for the Mid-Atlantic Area National Transmission Corridor and the Southwest Area National Transmission Corridor.
The orders can be found on the webpage "Applications for Rehearing" at http://nietc.anl.gov/index.cfm.