The Democratic lawmakers who introduced an ambitious transmission bill last year are at it again with new legislation — and this time they hope Republicans find it more palatable.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) on Thursday are introducing the “Streamlining Powerlines Essential to Electric Demand (SPEED) and Reliability Act.” The bill would speed up the siting and permitting of interregional power lines by reducing duplicative environmental reviews.
“For too long, good energy projects have been mired in government red tape and excessive bureaucracy, slowing our clean energy transition and the lower costs and new jobs it will bring,” Hickenlooper said in a statement, adding that the bills would ensure “our outdated permitting processes won’t hold us back.”
Peters added: “If we want to avoid a climate catastrophe, we cannot wait a decade plus for individual transmission lines to be approved.”
