11 Aug
Washington, D.C. (August 11, 2021) — On Tuesday, August 10, 2021, The U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a historic 69-30 bipartisan vote. The bill includes several provisions to improve interregional transmission policy and develop the high-voltage transmission capacity necessary to achieve a modern power system and a modern economy. However, significant additional investment is needed to achieve the new transmission capacity required for deep decarbonization.
“We applaud the Senate for achieving bipartisan agreement on the nation’s infrastructure. We also appreciate the inclusion of policies to advance interregional transmission needed for system resilience and clean energy growth. In particular, the $2.5 billion transmission facilitation program could be very helpful for getting a few large lines built. However, this level of funding in the bipartisan bill is less than one percent of the total transmission investment needed for cost-effective decarbonization. As a result, there is a critical need for a transmission tax credit in the next infrastructure bill.” – Rob Gramlich, Executive Director, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.
According to numerous studies, the U.S. will need to expand its existing electricity transmission by 2-3 times to meet decarbonization goals. Building out the transmission grid would lower electric sector emissions by 95 percent by 2050, create 6 million new jobs, and cut consumer’s electric bills by one third. The bipartisan bill is a positive first step towards investing in our nation’s grid infrastructure, but far more in needed to cost-effectively achieve the Administration’s target of power sector decarbonization by 2035.
ACEG and a diverse coalition of 50 environmental organizations, labor unions, and businesses urge Congress to include a tax credit for regionally significant transmission lines in its budget reconciliation measure. This week, the world’s climate scientists have urgently called for countries to step up their climate actions and building out the transmission grid is a key piece of infrastructure to enable significant carbon reduction.
You can read the letter to the House Ways and Means Committee here.
About Americans for a Clean Energy Grid:
Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) is the only non-profit broad-based public interest advocacy coalition focused on the need to expand, integrate, and modernize the North American high-voltage grid. ACEG brings together the diverse support for an expanded and modernized grid from business, labor, consumer and environmental groups, and other transmission supporters to support policy which recognizes the benefits of a robust transmission grid. For more information, please visit cleanenergygrid.org
Media Contact:
Sabreen Ahmed, Communications Associate
sabreen@dgardiner.com, 770-576-5343 (c)
