U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced a critical piece of legislation that will help facilitate the development of important transmission infrastructure. The Interregional Transmission Planning Improvement Act of 2023 would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to initiate a rulemaking to improve the currently unworkable interregional transmission planning and cost allocation processes, while allowing transmission developers to file directly with the Commission for cost recovery of interregional transmission projects. Following is a statement from Gregory Wetstone, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE):

"Expanding and modernizing our nation’s outdated electric grid is essential to reducing carbon emissions, but we aren’t yet building nearly enough of the large-scale transmission projects we know we’ll need as we enter a critical period for decarbonizing our economy and accelerating the transition to renewable energy. Sen. Heinrich’s policy proposal will help incentivize high-priority transmission expansion by addressing how we plan and allocate the cost of transmission lines. These reforms will help unlock tens of thousands of megawatts of wind and solar now stuck in interconnection queues and increase grid reliability by allowing the transfer of electricity both within and across regions. We look forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to pass this critically important piece of legislation."

ACORE | www.acore.org