Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bob Latta, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, announced on May 6 a hearing titled “Wires, Rates, and States: Permitting Transmission for Reliable and Affordable Power.”
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13 at 10:15 AM ET in Room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. It will be open to the public and press, with a live stream available online at energycommerce.house.gov.
Chairmen Guthrie and Latta said, “Strengthening our grid and winning the race for AI dominance requires the right power at the right time. As we continue to unleash American energy, it’s critical we have the infrastructure necessary to deliver electricity from power generators to those who need it. For more than a century, states have led the way on siting and permitting transmission lines, overseeing environmental reviews, and ensuring needed projects are built in a way that supports the communities where they are located. This hearing will provide the opportunity to examine ways we can meet growing demand, address the federal hurdles that too often slow down needed development, and deliver reliable and affordable energy.”
Mark C. Christie, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy at William & Mary Law School, provided a statement for the hearing. According to Christie: “Expanding FERC’s authority to override state decisions on whether to build transmission lines within their borders – so-called ‘backstop siting authority’ — or proposals to mandate a minimum amount of transmission between regions, will not serve consumers, nor, ironically, are they likely to get needed projects built. Even worse, such proposals will further inflate consumers’ monthly power bills… The entire utility system has one primary purpose: to provide end-use (retail) customers – consumers – with reliable power at the least cost under applicable law… Only state regulators have the local knowledge to regulate integrated planning of all utility assets pursuant to an IRP [integrated resource plan]… So giving FERC sweeping backstop siting authority… is not only inappropriate but it would ultimately be ineffective at getting big needed transmission lines built.” Christie also said that legislative mandates for interregional transmission would not serve consumers or affordability agendas.
The full details about this upcoming hearing can be found in the organization’s press release.
