States take the lead on expediting electric transmission By EPN Staff With federal permitting reform stalled in Congress, several U.S. states have launched their own initiatives to accelerate high-voltage transmission development. These actions, spurred by grid congestion concerns, align with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Transmission Planning Study and are supported by emerging private-led efforts like the Macro Grid Initiative. Why it matters Building new transmission lines is often an agonizingly slow process, taking over a decade to complete. That delay creates grid bottlenecks, limiting the movement of electricity – whether from renewable, nuclear, or natural gas sources – and constraining efforts to improve grid reliability and reduce emissions. By streamlining approvals, states like Minnesota and Oregon may significantly speed up energy deployment, an important complement to national climate and energy goals. Minnesota recently passed legislation allowing high-voltage lines to be co-located along existing state and interstate highway corridors, overturning past prohibitions on using such rights-of-way. The law also sets new processes for permitting under the new Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act. Oregon has initiated a collaborative transmission planning process aimed at identifying priority corridors for faster permitting. The effort brings together utilities, local agencies, and environments groups to coordinate siting decisions and environmental reviews. The bigger picture At the national level, the Macro Grid Initiative, led by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG), and funded by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy, is advancing efforts to modernize transmission corridors. Their campaign aims to support the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and regional transmission operators in adopting rules that enable a more integrated “macro-grid”. Gates has emphasized that enhanced transmission is foundational for a clean, resilient grid. These actions support findings from DOE’s National Transmission Planning Study, which estimates the U.S. will need approximately 47,000 gigawatt-miles – described as a unit incorporating distance and electricity carrying capacity – of new high-voltage transmission by 2035 to meet projected electricity demand and clean energy targets. More details The BIG WIRES Act would mandate regional interconnection minimums (30% of peak demand over two years) backed by bipartisan support and modeling from FERC. Though it aims to ease interstate grid construction, it remains stalled. States like New Hampshire, Maine, and Wisconsin, have also adopted policies to co-locate transmission in existing rights-of-way, establishing a potential model for regional replication.
