November 30, 2021 – On November 30th, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in response to the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) on regional transmission planning, cost allocation and generator interconnection. This submission expands upon the initial comments ACEG made on October 12th and recommends the Commission to develop a rule requiring proactive transmission planning.
Along with 174 other organizations, ACEG has expressed support for the direction of the Commission’s ANOPR, which identifies problems with today’s transmission policies and inquires about specific solutions that we believe are critical to the future of the Nation’s electric system. Reliability and clean energy development require a more robust grid, which we can only get if planners plan for the future.
Key points and suggestions made within the comments include:
- Evidence of diverse support to change regional transmission planning policy in anticipation of a future resource mix.
- The need for proactive transmission planning to achieve an efficient level of transmission investment to ensure just, reasonable, and equitable rates.
- Replace interconnection queue policy with reasonable planning and a fair cost allocation regime.
- Interregional planning changes should be adopted to encourage efficient investment that reduces system-wide costs.
- FERC has clear jurisdiction and responsibility to make these changes and should proceed rapidly to NOPR(s) and final rule(s)
The diverse group supporting FERC action on transmission includes states, conservatives, utilities, NGOs, labor unions, state energy officials, agricultural, rural, clean energy, and environmental organizations. It is especially noteworthy that 59 consumer organizations filed or supported comments advocating for planning reforms that would anticipate a future resource mix that will reduce electricity costs. This demonstrates that proactive planning and expanding regional and interregional transmission will deliver a wide range of economic, security, and public health benefits.
Refer here for a downloadable version of the submitted ACEG comments. For more on proactive planning and the FERC ANOPR proceeding, register for our upcoming Transmission Time webinar.
About Americans for a Clean Energy Grid:
Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) is the leading non-profit, broad-based public interest advocacy coalition focused on the need to expand, integrate, and modernize the North American high-voltage grid. ACEG brings together the diverse support for an expanded and modernized grid from business, labor, consumer and environmental groups, and other transmission supporters to support policy which recognizes the benefits of a robust transmission grid. For more information, please visit cleanenergygrid.org
Media Contact:
Sabreen Ahmed, Communications Associate
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174 Entities in Support of Proactive Transmission Planning for the Future