Co-sponsored by the top two leaders in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 was introduced on Monday and has already garnered support from CCL, clean energy groups, public interest groups, and trade groups representing the fossil fuel industry.  Some groups, like the Center for Biological Diversity and Earth Justice are solidly against the Act, and the Sierra Club says it falls short of their standards to get their support (yet?).

This post reports on the legislative timelines, links to statements from the various interest groups and summaries of the Act itself.

CCL concludes: “It’s a really good bill!”

(from RTO Insider)
Reports Detail Growing List of State and Local Restrictions

Two new reports have been published on the profusion of local and state regulations affecting renewable energy development — one attempting to summarize them, the other quantifying the growing number of restrictions they impose. 

“Laws in Order: An Inventory of State Renewable Energy Siting Policies” summarizes the renewable energy siting and permitting policies in the 50 states and Puerto Rico. One of its findings is that the approach …

Here are two key facts about transmission lines: The U.S. needs a lot more of them to transition away from fossil fuels; they’re also incredibly difficult to build.

The challenge is negotiating permits for the power lines — which cross hundreds of miles — from the numerous jurisdictions and hundreds of private landowners along the planned route. This is a very slow process — too slow at its current pace for the U.S. to build enough power lines to meet its climate goals.

For the past half decade, bipartisan groups have been pushing federal and state lawmakers and transportation agencies to clear the way for a potential shortcut: siting power lines alongside highways….