Senator Whitehouse: To Unlock the Full Potential of the IRA, We Need to Make It Easier to Build Electricity Transmission Lines
By Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
In August, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law — the largest climate investment in U.S. history. Among other provisions, this bill invests nearly $370 billion to deploy clean energy, scale up domestic manufacturing, create well-paying jobs, and reduce pollution. Now, we need to ensure the full emissions reduction potential of the IRA is realized by deploying more clean energy and transmission infrastructure.
Previous polling from Data for Progress found that the IRA’s climate and energy investments are extremely popular with voters, and modeling shows that these provisions could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping the U.S. get on track to reach our climate goals. Paired with the investments made by the CHIPS and Science Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the IRA also reflects a renewed commitment to manufacturing right here in America.
Our outdated electric grid is an obstacle to our transition to a clean energy future. Right now, the U.S. has over 1,300 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy projects waiting to connect to our grid. Without new transmission infrastructure, particularly interregional transmission lines, we can’t bring clean electricity from where it’s generated to where it’s consumed by homes and businesses.
According to a recent analysis from Princeton University’s REPEAT Project, up to 80 percent of the IRA’s emissions reductions will be lost if we do not double our transmission construction. Transmission projects frequently get tangled up in complex legal battles across multiple state and local agencies, hindering renewables development. Since 2014, China has built over 260 GW of interregional transmission capacity. The U.S. has built 7 GW.
I’ve proposed a solution with the Streamlining Interstate Transmission of Electricity (SITE) Act, a bill that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to approve certain interregional transmission projects after consulting with states and tribes, and with stronger protections for affected landowners. New Data for Progress polling shows significant support for the SITE Act and for building out new transmission lines.
Polling Findings
Data for Progress polling finds that almost three-quarters (74 percent) of all likely voters believe it is “very urgent” or “somewhat urgent” to develop new energy infrastructure projects to expand America’s power grid.
Moreover, the majority of all likely voters (62 percent) are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about our electricity grid’s ability to handle an influx of new renewable energy.
To help strengthen our nation’s electric grids, to meet increased demand for electricity, and to reliably deliver affordable clean energy across the country, we need to build out new transmission lines. Even if we construct enough wind turbines and solar panels to power the entire country, it won’t matter unless we have adequate infrastructure to safely and reliably transport that electricity from where it’s generated to where it’s needed.
Data for Progress polling finds that nearly three-quarters of all voters (74 percent) support expediting the permitting process for transmission.
The SITE Act would reduce the amount of time it takes to approve new energy transmission projects, such as power lines, that go across state lines.
Data for Progress polling finds that nearly three-quarters of all voters (71 percent) support the SITE Act, including Democrats by a +73-point margin, Independents by a +58-point margin, and Republicans by a +45-point margin.
New SITE Act authority at FERC would make it easier to construct long-range, interregional high voltage transmission lines. Data for Progress polling finds that over half (55 percent) of likely voters support giving the federal government authority to approve new interstate power lines to help expedite the process, including over two-thirds of Democrats (69 percent) and over half of Independents (55 percent).
The IRA is a significant first step toward building a competitive, low-carbon energy economy. To make its investments succeed, we must ramp up our rate of transmission construction to deliver clean energy. Voters overwhelmingly support expediting the permitting process to achieve these goals. The SITE Act will help get clean electricity to communities, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower costs for families, and strengthen America’s energy security.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (@senwhitehouse) is a Democrat from Rhode Island.