By Parker Yamasaki | The Colorado Sun
Quay County, New Mexico, is best known as a neon blip along historic Route 66, with a cluster of retro motels in its county seat, Tucumcari, about halfway between Albuquerque and Amarillo, Texas. Besides that, it’s a relatively rural part of the country, populated by multigenerational farmers and ranchers.
Ed and Patty Hughs are some of those ranchers. And Ed was surprised to find his property on a different kind of map last year: smack in the middle of a path for new power lines drawn by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The map shows one of three proposed routes for a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor, the result of a Biden administration program to accelerate transmission projects in areas where coverage could soon falter.