With prospects for legislative fixes murky, American Public Power Association President and CEO Sue Kelly advocated for review and possible reform of transmission planning processes. "You want one person, one agency who is going to shepherd a project from beginning to end and do the analysis to determine whether it's a good project or whether we should be looking at alternatives," he said, criticizing the Trump administration's whole-of-government approach to policy as removing accountability. Heinrich said he found it problematic that "certainty is not built in if you do the right things," and that no one seems to be "in charge" when it comes to transmission siting. It just takes one state, political subdivision, or landowner to derail "necessary transmission," he said, adding that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's lack of backstop siting authority over interstate transmission projects was something Congress should look into when it embarks on an infrastructure package.īut streamlining the permitting process has been a contentious topic for lawmakers as those that desire to see infrastructure approved swiftly have butted heads with those that seek greater environmental protections. While the state where the power is coming from and the state where it will ultimately be delivered tend to be onboard with projects, it is harder to convince the states the line must cross of the benefits of moving that power, Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat-New Mexico, said during a panel discussion hosted by Politico. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience.Ī massive buildout of the country's transmission system has been pitched as key to transforming the aging grid to accommodate the growth in renewable generation and push to decarbonize the power sector.īut siting long-haul transmission lines has proven to be a daunting task given the number of state and locality sign-offs required to bring a project to fruition.
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