AWEA Applauds Administration’s Steps to Streamline Transmission Siting on Federal Lands
Washington D.C.—The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) enthusiastically supports a new policy announced today by the administration that will greatly facilitate efforts to access world-class renewable energy resources currently stranded in remote parts of the country. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced today will streamline the transmission permitting process for federal lands by improving coordination among nine federal agencies and creating timelines to limit delays in the permit approval process.
“The wind industry applauds the Obama administration for recognizing the need to address transmission barriers and enacting a measure to improve the speed and ease with which transmission can be constructed across federal lands. This MOU is an important step towards putting more of our abundant renewable energy resources to use, powering American homes and businesses with clean, domestic sources of energy while creating thousands of high-paying jobs here in America” noted AWEA’s CEO Denise Bode.
Currently, lengthy delays in the process of obtaining the necessary permits from federal agencies to build transmission lines across federal land are a major barrier to accessing the country’s best renewable energy resources. This is particularly true in the Western U.S. where the federal government owns more than one-half of the land and any interstate transmission line is likely to cross land controlled by one or more federal entities.
AWEA’s Bode added, “The policy announced today is an important complement to legislative measures that have been proposed in the Senate to update policies that govern how transmission is planned, paid for, and permitted. Investment in our grid has lagged because our transmission policies have failed to keep up with changes in the electric sector, like the growing need to access renewable energy resources. Reforms like the steps announced today are critical for meeting our country’s clean energy and climate goals, and we urge Congress, the Administration, and state and federal regulatory authorities to take further action to streamline transmission permitting processes and implement broad transmission cost allocation policies.”
Source: American Wind Energy Association www.awea.org
