Reform crucial on climate change

The permitting process in the US is in urgent need of reform. The current process is inefficient and is causing a crippling delay in new clean-energy projects, putting at risk losing the billions of dollars approved under the Inflation Reduction Act. The issues listed below are complex and need to be resolved in a bipartisan manner.

Construction of a new transmission line requires getting approval from many organizations along a proposed route, including every city, county and state government. In addition, utilities along the route have to agree on how to divide up the costs.

Every new power plant or renewable project has to enter the “interconnection queue” which is a waiting list to get plugged into the power grid. It takes about four years for new projects to clear the interconnection queue and more than 75% of renewable projects get canceled before they get to the front of the line.

Before a federal agency can build, approve or change almost anything, it must study how that action will impact the environment as required by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It must also seek public comment and publish alternatives to its plan. These studies can run thousands of pages long and take years to complete.

Litigation over a NEPA study is generally allowed up to six years and the ensuing court battles can take years to resolve.

The federal offices that handle most of the NEPA related paperwork don’t have enough employees. The lack of funding for these agencies is one of the biggest reasons for permitting related delays.

There is hope. A bipartisan permitting reform bill has recently been introduced in the Senate. This bill represents a crucial opportunity to accelerate and streamline the energy infrastructure permitting process that is vital to ensure affordable reliable energy while reducing emissions. Please write Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and ask them to support The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (S.4753).

Joseph Reitmeyer

Mount Prospect