Rep. Garbarino urges FERC to finalize regional transmission rule

U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) is among a group of lawmakers urging the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to finalize its pending regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule.

This proposed rule, which has been pending for over a year, seeks to remedy deficiencies in the FERC’s existing regional transmission planning and cost allocation requirements.

“Improving our grid’s reliability makes it harder for our adversaries to launch widespread cyber and physical attacks, while also reducing the impact and duration of power outages due to severe weather events. Increased transmission also generates significant benefits, such as creating good-paying jobs, bolstering the availability of regional clean energy sources, connecting more energy resources of all types to the grid, and incenting domestic energy production—while also reducing energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to FERC Chairman Willie Phillips.

The letter was signed by Garbarino along with U.S. Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), and Brandon Williams (R-NY).

The effort drew support from Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.

“We applaud Rep. Andrew Garbarino and his colleagues for filing this letter urging FERC to strengthen and finalize its regional transmission planning rule,” Christina Hayes, executive director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, said. “If finalized, the reforms currently pending at FERC would encourage the development of well-planned high-capacity transmission. This is a major step toward increasing the reliability and resiliency of our nation’s grid, bolstering our national security, and lowering electricity costs for customers across the country.”

Garbarino is chair of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee. He also chairs the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.