The U.S. Senate's new energy permitting bill would overhaul how transmission lines are planned and approved, responding to a grid that is not growing fast enough to keep up with surging electricity demand. The bipartisan package would require regional grid operators and utilities to coordinate buildouts, use advanced transmission technologies, and give state and federal regulators more oversight over local planning. Grid experts say these changes are the kind that can actually expand and de-congest the nation's transmission system.
An analysis commissioned by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions modeled the bill's effects on four major grid regions serving more than half the country. It found that by 2035 the reforms could reduce electricity delivery costs by roughly $7 billion compared with business as usual, net of $1.9 billion in new transmission investment, and cut residential electricity bills by about $1.1 billion. The same modeling suggests the bill could enable nearly 100 gigawatts of additional wind, solar, and battery storage, plus close to 40 gigawatts of new interregional transmission capacity.
Passage is far from certain. The House is adjourned until after the November midterms, and lawmakers remain split over environmental review changes. Some environmental groups oppose streamlining that could limit challenges to energy projects, while clean energy trade groups back the bill as vital to clearing interconnection bottlenecks. The legislation would also ease permitting for new fossil gas plants, and analysts note that natural gas is still expected to be the largest source of electricity generation in 2035.