4/13/2009

There are a growing number of federal bills focused entirely, or in part, on expedited transmission line planning and siting. Some have a 'green' energy focus, while others don't even pretend. There are currently bills from Senators Reid, Bingaman, Dorgan and Nelson, as well as from Congressmen Markey, Waxman and Inslee.

We have been briefing relevant Senate and House staff on the dangers of coal-by-wire, and why we don't think utilities need yet another federal incentive for transmission (adding to the existing 12-14% guaranteed returns and FERC siting authority if the state doesn't approve the line within 1 year).

We still think the best way to maintain a reliable grid is to do integrated resource planning (plan for generation, transmission, and distribution in a holistic way), while prioritizing solutions such as energy efficiency, demand side management and distributed clean generation. It looks like this idea is starting to gain traction, with the environmental community, state leaders, and even state government.

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