January 15, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG), in partnership with DNV, has released a new report, “The PACE of Trust: A Framework by Community Voices for Advancing Transmission.”
The report seeks to enable the timely expansion and upgrading of the United States’ electric grid through a focus on building trust and working collaboratively across a broad spectrum of community interests.
Expanding the transmission grid requires both technical expertise and strategic community engagement. To this end, ACEG and DNV convened a Roundtable to identify best practices for community engagement when developing transmission lines. The Roundtable process focused on including a comprehensive set of community interests and, from there, identifying consensus-based best practices. Notably, the Roundtable included the following community interests: agriculture; energy, climate, and environmental justice; Indigenous; environmental, nature, and wildlife advocacy; labor; local workforce development; utilities; and transmission developers.
The report presents dozens of consensus-based best practices for community engagement and benefits which will help address potential tensions early on, providing the flexibility to discover mutually agreeable and timely solutions. The findings and recommendations are further consolidated into the PACE framework, which highlights a critical insight: the speed of transmission project development often corresponds with the level of trust built with affected communities.
The framework highlights four core areas of importance for community engagement and benefits:
- Participation and engagement of communities
- Accountability and good governance
- Communication, transparency and trust
- Economic and non-economic benefits
ACEG and DNV offer several actionable recommendations — some already regionally implemented — to enhance community participation and benefits in transmission development. In addition to project-agnostic initiatives, the report includes recommendations that are time-bound and specific to the different phases of the transmission development process, including planning, routing, and siting and permitting.
ACEG, DNV, and Roundtable members offered perspectives on the process and the PACE framework:
“The PACE framework serves as a guide for developers, policymakers, and communities to work together in advancing transmission projects,” said Christina Hayes, Executive Director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid. “By adopting these best practices and recommendations, transmission planners can support earlier and more effective community engagement, resulting in an energy grid that meets the needs of our communities.”
“Expanding and modernizing the transmission grid is essential to achieve climate goals and mitigate the effects of climate change,” said Richard S. Barnes, Region President, Energy Systems North America at DNV. “DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2024 forecasts an almost fully decarbonized electricity grid by 2050, but this will not be possible without transmission infrastructure that can manage the influx of renewable energy. Community support for transmission projects is essential, and the best practices outlined in this report will enable the necessary project development now and in the future.”
“This a great document that will prove quite useful in the future for developers, community leaders, and regulatory authorities to understand the planning process and its impact to communities,” said Kevin Blaser, Vice President of Business Development at Colusa Indian Energy.
“The PACE of Trust is one of the most comprehensive reports on energy infrastructure and community engagement I have seen,” said Melanie Santiago-Mosier, Equitable Energy Transition Advisor at The Nature Conservancy.
“This report highlights what’s most critical for successful transmission development – early, transparent engagement and lasting community partnerships,” said Morgan Stanchak, Senior Campaigns Manager at the Conservative Energy Network. “It’s not just about building the infrastructure; it’s about creating enduring value for the communities hosting these projects.”
We believe the report will help transmission developers build good relationships with affected communities, facilitate good communication, and build support for transmission projects that incorporate communities’ suggestions,” said Nick Lawton, Senior Attorney with Earthjustice.
“It’s a national security imperative to modernize the grid and meet rising demand, so enhancing community engagement practices that enable project execution is key,” said Patrick Whitty, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for Transmission at Invenergy. “Invenergy’s projects deliver jobs, economic impact, and reliable, affordable energy across the U.S. and I was glad to contribute our perspective to the report that will hopefully speed up the strategic expansion of American transmission.”
“Community engagement is essential for quickly and responsibly upgrading the U.S. electric grid, and this new report offers key recommendations for achieving that by building trust and collaborating with a wide range of groups,” said Wendy Bredhold, Senior Manager, Transmission Initiative at the National Audubon Society. “Audubon is proud to have contributed to developing best practices, informed by our Birds and Transmission report and our work on transmission projects across the country, emphasizing the importance of planning with birds and people in mind.”
“Roundtable discussions highlighted that local workforce development is a critical priority for affected communities, particularly in the context of transmission projects requiring specialized labor. Addressing these challenges requires a proactive and collaborative approach to drive consensus among key stakeholders, including state utilities, community organizations, educational institutions, labor groups, wraparound service providers, employers, and small businesses,” said Paul Douglas, President of JPI Group. “By engaging these groups, we can build a comprehensive project plan that leverages advanced tools to ensure collaboration, transparency, and accountability. This approach not only addresses existing gaps but also creates opportunities for meaningful partnerships, empowering communities and strengthening workforce capacity for future transmission projects.”
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About Americans for a Clean Energy Grid:
Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) is a non-profit, broad-based public interest advocacy coalition focused on the need to expand, integrate, and modernize the North American high-capacity grid. ACEG brings together a diverse coalition — including business, labor, consumer, environmental groups, and other transmission supporters — to advocate for policies that recognize the benefits of a robust transmission grid.
Media Contact:
Chloe Slayter, Communications Manager
chloe.slayter@cleanenergygrid.org | 805-556-5344