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| 04 Nov 2009 04:52:34 pm |
 Amendment could thwart new power lines, energy goals |
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An amendment currently included in energy legislation pending in the U.S. Senate could disrupt planning for new transmission lines and interfere with reaching national energy goals, a coalition of 62 companies and organizations warned Senate Leadership yesterday.
The seemingly minor language change, adopted by the Senate Energy Committee, deals with a critical (and eternal) issue: how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) determines who pays for new power lines. According to the coalition, it "would require lengthy, complex, cost-benefit analyses, invite litigation, and further contribute to uncertainty for investors." (And according to us at AWEA, if there is one thing the current transmission planning process does not need, it's to be slowed down further from an already glacial pace.)
“The Senate cost allocation language would block grid investment right at the time when there is a desperate need to expand the transmission system to deliver clean energy, assure reliability, and remove constraints that result in higher wholesale power prices,” commented Joseph Kelliher, Executive Vice President of Federal Regulatory Affairs for FPL Group and a former FERC Chairman.
AWEA CEO Denise Bode concurred, adding, "As a former state regulator, I believe the Amendment would bias regulatory decision making in transmission, where costs are certain but benefits are large and difficult to precisely measure."
A press release with additional information, including the full text of the letter, is available here. |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Tom Gray |
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