Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Transmission Permitting Rule & Latest Investments to Accelerate the Buildout of a Resilient, Reliable, Modernized Electric Grid

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DOE Declares New Federal Allowing Rule To Slash Transmission Evaluation Timelines in Half Whereas Sustaining Integrity of the Environmental Evaluation Course of, New $331 Million Funding to Add Extra Than 2,000 Megawatts Throughout the Western U.S. Grid

WASHINGTON, D.C.— In a continued dedication to bolster the U.S. energy grid, as we speak the Biden-Harris Administration introduced a last transmission allowing reform rule and a brand new dedication for as much as $331 million aimed toward including greater than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of extra grid capability all through the Western United States — the equal to powering 2.5 million houses and creating greater than 300 new, prime quality and union development jobs. By bettering Federal transmission allowing processes and investing in transmission construct out and grid upgrades, the Biden-Harris Administration is deploying a multifaceted method to making sure that Individuals have clear, dependable, and reasonably priced energy when and the place they want it. These efforts advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic local weather agenda, strengthen vitality safety and grid resilience, and scale back vitality prices by bringing low-cost clear electrical energy to extra households and companies.

The Division of Power (DOE) is issuing a last rule to determine the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Programwhich goals to considerably enhance Federal environmental opinions and allowing processes for qualifying transmission initiatives. Below the CITAP Program, DOE will coordinate a Federal built-in interagency course of to consolidate Federal environmental opinions and authorizations inside a regular two-year schedule whereas making certain significant engagement with Tribes, native communities, and different stakeholders. This last rule, initiated and accomplished in underneath a yr, implements a Could 2023 interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expedite the siting, allowing, and development of electrical transmission infrastructure in the USA. This rule is the most recent motion the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to speed up allowing and environmental opinions.

DOE can be asserting as much as $331 million by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation to help a brand new transmission line from Idaho to Nevada that shall be constructed with union labor—the most recent funding from the $30 billion that the Administration is deploying from the President’s Investing in America agenda to strengthen electrical grid infrastructure.

“In order to reach our clean energy and climate goals, we’ve got to build out transmission as fast as possible to get clean power from where it’s produced to where it’s needed,” stated John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Worldwide Local weather Coverage. “As today’s announcements demonstrate, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to using every tool at our disposal to accelerate progress on transmission permitting and financing and build a clean energy future.”

“As the Federal government’s largest land manager, the Department of the Interior is working to review, approve and connect clean energy projects on hundreds of miles across the American West,” stated US Secretary of the Inside Deb Haaland. “As we continue to surpass our clean energy goals, we are committed to working with our interagency partners to improve permitting efficiency for transmission projects, and ensuring that states, Tribes, local leaders and communities have a seat at the table as we consider proposals.”

Increasing electrical transmission capability in the USA is crucial to satisfy rising demand for electrical energy, guarantee dependable and resilient electrical service, and ship new low-cost clear vitality to prospects when and the place they want it. However over the previous decade, transmission traces in the USA have been constructed at half the speed of the earlier three a long time, usually attributable to allowing and financing challenges. The Biden-Harris Administration is tackling these challenges head-on, with as we speak’s new CITAP Program and transmission funding announcement as the most recent steps in broad efforts to tackle local weather change, decrease vitality prices, and strengthen vitality safety and grid reliability.

Federal Allowing Reform

Immediately DOE launched a last rule that can considerably enhance Federal environmental opinions and allowing processes for qualifying onshore electrical transmission services, whereas making certain significant engagement with Tribes, states, native communities, and different stakeholders. According to the Fiscal Duty Act of 2023, the rule establishes the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Program to raised coordinate Federal allowing processes and set up a two-year deadline for completion of Federal authorizations and permits for electrical transmission.

The CITAP program helps transmission builders navigating the Federal assessment course of, offering:

• Improved Allowing Evaluation with Two-12 months Timelines: DOE will function the lead coordinator for environmental assessment and allowing actions between all taking part Federal companies and undertaking builders, finally making the Federal allowing course of for transmission initiatives extra environment friendly. DOE will lead an interagency pre-application course of to make sure that developer submissions for Federal authorizations are prepared for assessment on binding two-year timelines, with out compromising essential Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act (NEPA) necessities. This may considerably enhance the effectivity of the allowing course of for undertaking builders by amassing info needed for required Federal authorizations to web site a transmission facility earlier than beginning the allowing course of.
• Sustained Integrity in Environmental Evaluation Course of: DOE will work with the related companies to arrange a single NEPA environmental assessment doc to help every related Federal company’s allow determination making, lowering duplication of labor. Additional, state siting authorities might take part within the CITAP Program alongside Federal companies and benefit from the efficiencies and assets DOE is providing by this system, together with the one environmental assessment doc, as a foundation for their very own decision-making.
• Clear Transmission Allowing: The CITAP Program would require a complete public participation plan that helps undertaking builders establish group impacts from proposed traces on the outset of the undertaking and encourages early engagement by potential candidates with communities and Tribes. The CITAP Program will permit potential candidates and companies to coordinate by way of a web-based portal, which is able to permit undertaking builders to instantly add related info and needed documentation and can provide a one-stop-shop for his or her Federal allowing communications. The web portal may even permit taking part Federal companies to view and supply enter in the course of the preliminary doc assortment course of and through Federal environmental opinions.

“The Permitting Council is excited to have CITAP as a partner as we work together to bring clarity, transparency and efficiency to the federal permitting process for crucial transmission projects,” says Eric Beightel, Allowing Council Govt Director. “The ambitious clean energy goals of the Biden-Harris administration cannot be achieved without the transmission infrastructure needed to deliver renewable energy to consumers. This rule is a significant step forward in bringing coordination and accountability into the permitting review of these vital projects, and a perfect complement to our FAST-41 permitting assistance program, enabling us to deliver clean and affordable energy to homes across the nation.” A public webinar shall be held on Could 15. Register now.

Growing Investor Confidence

Immediately, DOE additionally introduced the number of one extra conditional undertaking from the primary spherical of capability contract functions by the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP).

Because of an funding of $331 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Southwest Intertie Venture (SWIP-N) will bolster useful resource adequacy within the West by bringing wind vitality from Idaho to Southern Nevada and to prospects in California, and offering a pathway for photo voltaic assets to satisfy evolving reliability wants within the Pacific Northwest. With development anticipated to start out in 2025, the proposed, 285-mile line will deliver greater than 2,000 MW of wanted transmission capability to the area and create over 300 new, prime quality and union development jobs. The SWIP-N line may even assist enhance grid resilience by offering an alternate path to ship energy provides throughout wildfires or different system disruptions. This undertaking may even improve a key substation in Nevada, unlocking an extra 1,000 MW of capability alongside the present One Nevada Line, a significant transmission hall in Southern Nevada.

The National Transmission Needs Studylaunched in October 2023, estimates that by 2035 there shall be a necessity for 3.3 gigawatts of recent switch capability between the Mountain and Northwest areas to unlock the ability sector emissions financial savings enabled by the Investing in America agenda. The SWIP-N undertaking contributes 58% of this interregional transmission want.

Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation, the Transmission Facilitation Program is a $2.5 billion revolving fund to assist overcome the monetary hurdles related to constructing new, large-scale transmission traces and upgrading current transmission traces. Below this system, DOE is allowed to borrow as much as $2.5 billion to buy a share of the entire proposed capability of the eligible transmission line. By providing capability contracts, DOE will increase the arrogance of traders, encourages extra prospects to buy transmission line capability, and reduces the general threat for undertaking builders.

Study extra concerning the Grid Deployment Office.

Information merchandise from U.S. DOE.