Cabinet Members Studying Energy Transmission
Salazar says nation's power grid is outdated and policy changes are needed.
Compiled by staff
Published: Oct 1, 2009
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told energy industry officials Wednesday that the federal government's past electric transmission policy has been as fragmented and disjointed as the nation's outdated power grid. Salazar called the nation's current electric transmission grid extraordinarily inefficient, geographically fragmented and vulnerable to cyber attack, brownouts, and other disruptions. He said it simply isn't designed to move large loads from areas with high renewable energy potential to the areas of highest demand.
"For too long, our nation's electric transmission policy has been, frankly, a low priority across all federal agencies," Salazar said. "It can take years to navigate the bureaucracy and permits needed for a multi-state transmission project. The process often involves several state agencies, local regulators, and federal land management agencies – each with the power to block a particular project."
According to Salazar, the Administration is using a Cabinet-level working group to develop a unified, forward-looking strategy for citing, cost allocation, and coordinating the permitting for proposed transmission projects. The Cabinet group is developing a coordinated federal permitting process that can review and approve permit applications that cross federal agency jurisdictions and mapping out electric corridors that meet the needs of the clean energy economy.
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Tagged: land management
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