I have done numerous environmental reviews for proposed transmission lines. Our nations power grid is not a matter that should be partisan. There are financial considerations that may prevent investor owned utilities from pursing expensive new grid facilities. Perhaps there is a need to create a longer term federal loan program to help stimulate grid expansion, something along the lines of the Rural Electrification Act of the 1930’s. Creating incentives that enable more environmental approval certainty would also be useful.
Many of the transmission lines I evaluated and obtained approvals for have been built and the environmental impacts have not been long-term nor irreversible. One policy that I would favor is granting fast trap approvals for transmission line rebuilds to higher voltages and increased capacity. Utilities have long advocated for physically separating transmission lines to avoid simultaneous outages. This policy while seemingly reasonable on its face, new transmission lines and new rights-of-way have often posed what often seems to be insurmountable public opposition. I expect a new transmission line that consumes scarce financial and Human Resources only to be abandoned due to opposition causes much higher power reliability harm that pursuing a series of line upgrades.
I have done numerous environmental reviews for proposed transmission lines. Our nations power grid is not a matter that should be partisan. There are financial considerations that may prevent investor owned utilities from pursing expensive new grid facilities. Perhaps there is a need to create a longer term federal loan program to help stimulate grid expansion, something along the lines of the Rural Electrification Act of the 1930’s. Creating incentives that enable more environmental approval certainty would also be useful.
Many of the transmission lines I evaluated and obtained approvals for have been built and the environmental impacts have not been long-term nor irreversible. One policy that I would favor is granting fast trap approvals for transmission line rebuilds to higher voltages and increased capacity. Utilities have long advocated for physically separating transmission lines to avoid simultaneous outages. This policy while seemingly reasonable on its face, new transmission lines and new rights-of-way have often posed what often seems to be insurmountable public opposition. I expect a new transmission line that consumes scarce financial and Human Resources only to be abandoned due to opposition causes much higher power reliability harm that pursuing a series of line upgrades.