"Placement of power grid is debated; Greater federal involvement urged" by H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press | February 24, 2009
WASHINGTON - Democratic congressional leaders and the Obama administration indicated yesterday that they will push for greater federal authority to locate electric transmission lines, saying the current power grid stands in the way of developing alternative energy sources.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said he will soon introduce legislation that gives federal regulators authority to override states on electric grid placement decisions as part of a package of energy proposals the Senate is expected to take up in the coming weeks.
"We cannot let 231 state regulators hold up progress," Reid said, referring to the members of state public utility commissions that decide on transmission locations in the states. He said states should be given every opportunity to participate but "there may come a time when the federal government will have to step in."
You HAVE BEEN WARNED, Amurka!
A clean energy conference that included former vice president Al Gore and President Clinton focused extensively on the need for a national "smart" grid to transport electricity, including an expansion of the system to bring wind and solar energy from remote locations to the nation's cities.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he was ready to open energy corridors and renewable energy development on federal land and offshore waters, but he said that the power grid of today cannot move this energy from where it is located to where it is needed.
"In the end, unless we are able to solve this juggernaut and deal with the transmission issue we're simply going to be standing in place," Salazar told the conference, which was organized by the Center for American Progress.
Also see: Power Problem
Senator Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that will craft energy legislation, said that while he has not seen Reid's proposal he agreed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should have more authority for planning and siting high-voltage power lines.
Bingaman said he hopes to have a bill in four to six weeks that will address the grid issue and establish a requirement for utilities nationwide to generate a certain percentage of electricity - as much as 20 percent by 2020 - from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass.--more--"
