DOE issues final rule on transmission permitting
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a final rule on transmission permitting and announced a commitment for up to $331 million to add more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of additional grid capacity throughout the Western United States.
The final rule will establish the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Program, which seeks to improve federal environmental reviews and permitting processes for qualifying transmission projects. Under the CITAP Program, DOE will coordinate a federal integrated interagency process to consolidate federal environmental reviews and authorizations within a standard two-year schedule.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is doing everything everywhere to get more power to more people, in more places,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “We are acting with the urgency the American people deserve to realize a historic rework of the permitting process that slashes times for new transmission lines, puts more Americans to work and meets the energy needs of today and the future.”
Through the CITAP program, the DOE will serve as the lead coordinator for environmental review and permitting activities between all participating federal agencies and project developers. This will ultimately make the permitting process for transmission projects more efficient. Further, DOE will lead an interagency pre-application process to ensure that developer submissions for federal authorizations are ready for review on binding two-year timelines, without compromising critical National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. This will improve the efficiency of the permitting process for project developers by collecting information necessary for federal authorizations to site a transmission facility before starting the permitting process.
“In order to reach our clean energy and climate goals, we’ve got to build out transmission as fast as possible to get clean power from where it’s produced to where it’s needed,” John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for international climate policy, said.
This final rule implements a May 2023 interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expedite the siting, permitting, and construction of electric transmission infrastructure in the United States.
The DOE is also announcing up to $331 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support a new transmission line from Idaho to Nevada. The Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP-North) will bolster resource adequacy in the West by bringing wind energy from Idaho to Southern Nevada and to customers in California. It will also provide a pathway for solar resources to meet evolving reliability needs in the Pacific Northwest.
The proposed 285-mile line will bring more than 2,000 MW of needed transmission capacity to the region and create over 300 union construction jobs. Construction is anticipated to start in 2025.
“As the Federal government’s largest land manager, the Department of the Interior is working to review, approve and connect clean energy projects on hundreds of miles across the American West,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said.
Among the groups in support of the initiative is the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
“DOE’s creation of the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Program will add much-needed efficiencies to the permitting of high-voltage lines undergoing National Environmental Policy Act environmental studies while also ensuring early and meaningful community engagement. The expansion of Categorical Exclusions for transmission upgrades, coupled with the White House’s announcement of a goal to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years, will obtain greater capabilities from the existing grid. Finally, the advancement of the Southwest Intertie Project through the innovative Transmission Facilitation Program is an important investment in expanding America’s transmission capacity,” Elise Caplan, vice president of regulatory affairs at ACORE, said.
While there is more to be done, these actions represent helpful progress toward a more streamlined system, Caplan added.
