MANNFORD, Okla. — As Mandie McCord drives through her Creek County ranch, she reflects on the lifestyle she loves.
“This is a way of life that we dream of, and a lot of folks … don’t even have an idea of what we could be missing once this is changed,” McCord said.
She fears infrastructure plans from the US Department of Energy could hinder her family’s lifestyle.
The McCords have horses, a donkey, a dog, and some registered Texas longhorns on their property.
She just added a sign out front, reading “NO FEDERAL TRANSMISSION CORRIDORS FOR CREEK COUNTY.”
It references the DOE’s National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. Preliminary plans are in place to add large infrastructure across the Great Plains, including Creek County.
“A whole host of things, that’s not really good for Oklahoma, or Oklahomans,” McCord said.
Large transmission lines, pictured below, headline the plans.
McCord fears the DOE will use eminent domain to install them.
According to an answer on the DOE’s FAQ page, the use of eminent domain is a possibility. It’s up to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue a permit.
“Once a permit is issued, then a court has to allow the exercise of eminent domain,” it says. Nowhere in the answer does it rule out its use.
“We care about our neighbors. We don’t want to see their land values go down,” McCord said, “We don’t want to see ranchers and farmers give up a piece of their land for this to come through.”
A public meeting is scheduled for Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Creek County Fairgrounds. County commissioners and several other elected officials will attend.
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