Washington, D.C. (September 21, 2022) –The Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) today encouraged bipartisan reforms as members of Congress seek to address transmission permitting and siting delays that hinder progress toward modernizing the electric grid.

“Streamlined permitting is an important foundational step to facilitate faster approval and construction of a network of new transmission lines needed to make the electric grid more resilient, reliable, and effective in serving the demands of a 21^st century clean energy economy,” said Bryn Baker, CEBA’s senior director of market and policy innovation. “Legislative permitting reforms to assist in transmission development will make important long-term contributions to cutting the red tape around transmission siting. Expanding transmission capacity through these reforms will lead to significantly reduced costs for customers by more efficiently moving least-cost power; improved grid reliability by connecting available power across broader regions; and decreased pollution by integrating greater amounts of clean energy.”

The existing transmission system is decades behind in planning and adding additional capacity needed to meet the load growth and demands of customers in every region of the United States. CEBA supports reforms that will expedite the siting review period and the designation of high priority regional lines. The reforms also should include provisions for a permitting process that prioritizes existing rights of way and should outline a pathway for recovering costs of transmission facilities that benefit electricity users across wide areas, while ensuring community input and environmental integrity.  

CEBA looks forward to fostering bipartisan progress to address other remaining permitting barriers to new transmission and clean energy project approvals and working with regional and state leaders to help expedite these critical improvements to the nation’s electric grid.

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About the Clean Energy Buyers Association  

CEBA activates a community of 330 members – representing more than $7 trillion in annual revenues and 16 million employees – who provide critical services and products to the American people and seek to deploy solutions for a carbon-free energy system. Most members are institutional energy customers of every type and size – corporate and industrial companies, as well as universities and cities. Since 2014, CEBA members have voluntarily procured more than 52 gigawatts of new, utility-scale clean energy, equivalent to over one-third of all wind and solar installed in that time, driving down air pollution and lowering energy costs for all Americans.

For more information, visit cebuyers.org and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Media Contact:  Julianne Basinger, CEBA, jbasinger@cebuyers.org