The Inflation Reduction Act that passed in August 2022 took historic steps at helping us transition to clean energy. But to unlock its many benefits—including tax credits for U.S. households—we need to build more clean energy, faster.
Failing to hasten the build-out of transmission lines could stall those benefits and forfeit a huge opportunity to curb greenhouse gasses. A recent study shows that 80% of the greenhouse gas reduction benefits from the IRA could be lost if the U.S. does not build any new transmission lines.
We need a lot more permitted transmission lines, but a maze of federal, state, and local permitting processes slows down progress on transmitting clean energy.
“Permitting reform” is a hot topic in Washington, but it has to be done right. The focus cannot continue to be on lining the pockets of Big Oil and Gas with more and/or new fossil fuel projects.
Sign the petition: For clean energy access across the country, we must start here.
House Republicans continue to exacerbate the climate crisis by trying to make permitting easier for pipelines that carry harmful fossil fuels clean energy is meant to replace. The big energy bill that they passed last month, H.R. 1, will speed up oil and gas production in the worst possible way, creating loopholes and exemptions in bedrock environmental laws for big polluters. H.R. 1 is a fossil fuel lobbyist’s dream.
The Dirty Deal proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin last fall was yet another attempt at permitting reform that was heavily slanted toward the fossil fuel industry. The trend to appease Big Oil and Gas is obvious, but it’s also extremely detrimental.
Permitting reform must benefit clean energy only. That means:
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Require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider climate and environmental justice impacts, as well as climate benefits.
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Respect bedrock environmental laws, with no rollbacks to community participation or environmental impact analysis.
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Clean energy we need must not come at the expense of frontline communities and existing environmental laws.
Without transmission reform, we face little chance of meeting our clean energy goals. And unless the process can be fundamentally improved, the nation will have a hard time meeting its climate goals.
Luckily for us (and for the planet), steps can be made toward the transition. But we must apply pressure on the federal government to prioritize clean energy production and access.
Congress and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must step up to ensure grid planners across the country are preparing for the clean energy future. Congress must prioritize clean energy in permit legislation—not Big Oil and Gas—and the regulatory commission must create federal guidelines on transmission planning to ensure grid planners across the country are preparing for the clean energy future. And they need to hear from us!
Sign the petition to Congress and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Let’s get permitting reform right, to help the clean energy transition.