Co-authored with Delta County Commissioner Wendell A. Koontz. Previously published by the Delta County Independent, the Grand Junction Sentinel, and the Durango Herald.
Much of our energy infrastructure was built in a different time and different climate. Our electricity distribution systems were designed for a different set of use cases, with centralized plants that serve a limited geography. The systems that power our lives are aging and stressed by a new set of weather patterns, a new mix of energy sources, and increasing demand.
We need to build. If we want cleaner energy, we need to build new assets. If we want abundant energy, we need to build more capacity. If we want reliable energy, we need to build a mix of sources, transmission, and distribution that balances intermittent renewables with firm generation, and connects supply to demand. Our permitting process for large energy projects is strangling that progress.
The TransWest Express Transmission Project, a 732-mile transmission line through the West that will move clean, affordable electricity from rural generation centers to high demand areas, took 18 years to permit. As Senator Hickenlooper noted in a hearing last May, “Someone who has an infant at home, that child’s going to be in college by the time someone could do a similar process to permit a single transmission line.” We can’t keep up with our energy needs that way.
Clearing up the procedural clogs doesn’t mean greenlighting bad projects. We can have high environmental standards and robust community outreach with a different, more efficient process. We need to get decisions done more quickly so investors can get their project underway or move on. Death by delay is worse than outright killing a project. It’s costly, wasteful and scares investors off projects needed for an all of the above clean energy economy.
Congress enacted first steps earlier this year, requiring a lead agency to coordinate environmental reviews when more than one agency is involved, focusing documentation on important considerations, including benefits as well as risks, and setting time limits for review on most projects. Though it’s a start, more needs to be done.
Congress and the federal government are also working to improve the process of siting and permitting interstate transmission lines like TransWest Express. If we can move electricity from one region to another during times of grid stress, consumers can keep the lights on and the pipes from freezing during harsh weather events.
Early and robust community involvement is key to making this work, for locals and developers. Local input can help identify impacts that developers aren’t aware of. If that happens early in the planning stage, the plan can be adapted before time and money are invested. When affected communities feel part of the process, they are less likely to oppose the project.
Litigation reform is necessary as well. Under the current rules, lawsuits challenging a project permit can be filed up to six years after the permit is approved. Plaintiffs certainly have the right to their day in court, but they shouldn’t be allowed to throw a monkey wrench into the works six years after construction begins. That’s true whether the project is transporting natural gas, solar electricity, or wind energy. Congress is considering proposals that would limit the filing window, ranging from 3-4 months to 2-3 years.
None of this is easy, but bipartisan consensus is forming around these policy concepts. You can help by telling your elected representatives that we need energy permitting reform. This is a rare issue where most everyone gets something they want: decarbonization, cheaper energy, more reliable energy, energy security, better quality of life. Personally, we would add pride to that list.
Americans are innovators and big thinkers. We know how to do hard things, solve big challenges, and make our world better for future generations. Paperwork and lawsuits have their place, but they shouldn’t dominate our decisions or obstruct worthy projects.
Powering Forward 
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