In today's market, this dirty coal-powered electricity is sold across state lines, bypassing the stronger environmental controls that have been enacted by most states. The grandfathered dirty power plants are cheaper to operate, so utilities stand to make billions of dollars by delivering "Coal-By-Wire" to markets in the Northeast. New Federal law helps industry accomplish this goal under the guise of reliability, and despite litigation by states and the concerns of Congress. The new transmission lines in themselves are inefficient because a substantial amount of power is lost in transmitting electricity long distances.