"WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration is consolidating approval power over big power grid projects to speed upgrades and provide access to new clean-energy projects.
In a bid to fast track grid-infrastructure construction, the Energy Department (DOE) is set to become the lead federal agency coordinating environmental approval of major transmission projects across the U.S., providing a one-stop shop as utilities race to meet rising power demand.
The new process seeks to reduce the red tape grid planners faced as they sought separate approvals from a patchwork of federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department and the Agriculture Department.
With its new authority, the DOE said it would implement a two-year deadline to issue federal permits and authorizations for proposed projects, cutting the average time to site and permit projects in half from four years. This could speed development of big interstate projects that needed approvals from multiple federal agencies.
If the DOE fails to meet the two-year deadline for project approval, developers can appeal to the president to issue permits. The new DOE powers were first approved by Congress in 2005 but never formalized and approved.
The DOE also announced a plan to provide up to $331 million in funding for a major transmission project in the Western U.S. that will help move wind energy from Idaho to Nevada and California. Construction on the 285-mile line is expected to start next year, the DOE said." [1]
1. U.S. News: U.S. Seeks To Speed Power Grid Upgrades. Patterson, Scott. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 26 Apr 2024: A.5.
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