09 Sep
Monday, September 9 (Washington, D.C.) — Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) today released a new report highlighting the critical role state policies can play in modernizing and expanding the U.S. electric transmission system.
Transmission is essential for delivering power from where it is produced to where it is needed, ensuring that electric service remains affordable, reliable, and resilient. However, our country’s aging and capacity-constrained grid requires significant upgrades to meet growing energy demands and to accommodate new generation sources. Despite this, recent transmission development has been inconsistent and inefficient, leaving many areas vulnerable to power disruptions, especially during severe weather events.
ACEG’s new report delves into how state policies can drive the high-capacity, interstate transmission solutions we need. While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has jurisdiction over interstate transmission, the report underscores the crucial role states play in comprehensive and cost-effective transmission planning and development.
The report is designed to inform and guide state policymakers and advocates, offering illustrative examples of impactful policies and emphasizing the importance of interstate collaboration in achieving a reliable and resilient grid.
Through surveys and interviews with transmission experts, including advocates, utility staff, developers, and state legislators, the report:
- Identifies key state policies that advance transmission expansion.
- Highlights the importance of state engagement in collaborative discussions, regional planning processes, and the promotion of policies that support grid reliability and affordability.
- Emphasizes the need for states to adopt long-term planning horizons, recognize the benefits of an interconnected network, and streamline transmission siting processes.
You can read the report here.
“As they look to unlock economic development and support affordable energy for their communities, states can play a significant role in supporting transmission and collaborating with their neighbors in order to develop a better grid,” said Christina Hayes, Executive Director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid. “The policies highlighted in this report offer a roadmap for states looking to lead on this critical issue.”
“There is a huge lack of direct engagement from state utility regulators in transmission planning and cost allocation across the Southeast,” said Andy Kowalczyk, Transmission Director at the Southern Renewable Energy Association. “This creates a gap, where the benefits of multi-value planning get lost in the discussion. The current narrative in the states is about costs and sticker shock, without an acknowledgement of the long-term benefits and necessity for long-term infrastructure investments, as this report highlights.”
“Like interstate highways are to moving products and people across America expeditiously, electric transmission expansion is vital to moving electrons for increased domestic manufacturing and AI/data centers,” said Claire Vigesaa, Executive Director of the North Dakota Transmission Authority. “This tremendous demand growth requires that we have stellar interregional transmission networks to move electrons from areas rich in generation to load, ensuring grid reliability and national security. North Dakota is privileged to be in an area with rich generation resources, abundant coal/natural gas supply as well as wind resources. We have the resources required to provide generation that is reliable and affordable — expansion of the grid and projects like the North Plains Connector, a 3,000MW HVDC project will be extremely valuable to that end.”
“This report highlights policies that states can enact to remove roadblocks to the planning, permitting, and paying for transmission projects. A key role for the states, especially in the West, is to foster coordination between the multiple entities that have a role in intrastate and interstate transmission planning,” said Maury Galbraith, Executive Director of the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority. “An often-overlooked role for the states is to facilitate the public and private partnerships that are needed to successfully permit and pay for these easily visible and expensive infrastructure projects. Transmission lines are not built without effective public and private partnerships. Partnering is the fourth P that makes the ‘3 P’s of Transmission’ happen. This report is a must-read for state legislators, state energy office officials, and state regulatory utility commissioners.”
“Large-scale build-out of transmission infrastructure is urgently needed to meet increasing electricity demand and relieve congestion,” said Bob Dean, Business Manager at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local Union 1245. “Building this modernized grid will create tens of thousands of good paying, union jobs. The IBEW will train these new workers and wants those workers to come from the communities in which these projects will be built. That is the best way for new transmission projects to benefit workers, the IBEW and the communities we serve.”
“This report underscores the critical role that states play in modernizing and expanding our nation’s transmission infrastructure,” said Jeremy McDiarmid, Managing Director for Advanced Energy United. “As the backbone of our electric grid, transmission ensures that electricity remains affordable, reliable, and resilient. This means states must work together in collaborative transmission planning, and the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission is a great example of how this can be achieved.”
“We are in a historic moment to accelerate the growth of clean energy resources and decarbonize our economy, and transmission expansion is key,” said Matt Prorok, Senior Policy Manager of Energy Systems at the Great Plains Institute (GPI). “We at GPI work closely with states to break down the barriers and bring together critical stakeholders to expedite transmission development. This report offers a robust menu of options for states to find the right set of tools they each need to meet their unique transmission grid needs.”
“This is a wonderfully researched report that highlights many of the ways in which state policy makers and regulators are enabling the modernization and expansion of the electric transmission system,” said Max Luke, Director of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs at VEIR. “The report provides a comprehensive set of state policy and regulatory concepts that, if implemented broadly across many states, would greatly accelerate the expansion and modernization of the nation’s transmission system.”
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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
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