Renewable energy groups urge Congress to pass permitting reforms

A group of renewable energy organizations are urging Congressional leaders to enact transmission permitting legislation that builds on the clean energy policies included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Specifically, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Advanced Energy United (United), and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) recommend certain reforms to the Federal Power Act. They include enhancing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) siting authority over critical interstate transmission lines; codifying fair cost allocation language that allows transmission developers to recoup the costs of interregional lines from those who benefit; improving interregional planning processes to better reflect the multiple benefits of an interconnected grid; and directing FERC to implement an interregional transfer capability requirement to ensure that adjacent transmission planning regions are able to transfer electricity during times of stress on the grid.

“Research shows that we will need to double the pace of historical transmission deployment in order to maximize the carbon emission reduction benefits of this historic legislation,” the groups wrote in a letter to Senate and House leaders. “These reforms are essential to realization of the 21st century transmission grid America needs to bolster economic competitiveness, ensure grid reliability in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather, and achieve the clean energy transition necessary to address the climate crisis.”

The renewable energy organizations also urge Congress to consider policies that modernize National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews while maintaining bedrock environmental protections. These recommended policies include prioritizing upfront and meaningful stakeholder consultation, particularly with underserved communities; providing reasonable timelines for Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments; mandating the designation of a lead agency to be responsible for a single environmental document; establishing a reasonable statute of limitations for judicial review; and providing sufficient resourcing for permitting agencies.

Further, they stated that any negotiated framework that addresses environmental reviews must also include requisite transmission siting and permitting reform.