Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC - Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission finalized its transmission planning and allocation requirements to unleash clean energy, improve the resilience of the power grid, and improve affordability. These new standards will require utilities to create smart long-term plans that consider all of the benefits that new transmission can provide for customers, like lower energy bills and increased reliability.
FERC’s new transmission planning requirements will waste less energy across the grid, reduce congestion thanks to fewer transmission outages, speed access to lower-cost and cleaner energy generation, and increase competition in a way that will lower prices and promote innovation, among other benefits.
FERC also finalized a rule clarifying its use of federal backstop transmission siting authority in Department of Energy-designated National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, adding tribal consultation requirements and requiring transmission developers to actively consider environmental justice and tribal impacts associated with their projects. However, the Commission stepped back from its proposal to initiate pre-filing consultation with project applicants in the year before federal backstop authority begins.
In reaction, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released the following statement:
“By continuing to grow the foundation which our clean energy future is being built upon, FERC is meeting its obligation to help the country build and maintain a resilient grid and save rate payers money. Following the letter of the law, this new standard meets the moment by laying the foundation for an efficient transmission network built on clean energy, not fossil fuels.
“As President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act continues to usher in the clean energy future through deployment of solar, wind, and battery storage, this transmission standard will allow utilities to deliver Americans clean, affordable electricity, even in the face of rising demand and extreme weather caused by climate change. With the standard now in place, FERC must be vigilant to ensure strong implementation in order to maximize the benefits for reliability and consumers.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.