Casten: Without Transmission Permitting Reform, We Will Not Meet Emissions Reduction Goals
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) has issued the following statement on the need to reform transmission permitting and siting to facilitate the clean energy transition. A recent study from Princeton University’s Rapid Energy Policy and Evaluation Analysis Toolkit made clear the United States must more than double the pace of new transmission deployment or risk losing over 80% of the potential emissions reductions produced by the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The data is overwhelmingly clear: if we do not rapidly increase the rate of transmission deployment then we will not reach the full emissions reduction potential of the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “Without reforming transmission permitting and siting processes, we will not meet our goals.
“The bill at hand proposed by Senator Manchin and facilitated by Majority Leader Schumer is not perfect. It includes too much unnecessary support to an already-over subsidized fossil fuel sector. Those provisions are bad for our economy and our planet. But there is more good than bad in this bill, and so long as the Senate continues to prioritize the preservation of the filibuster over the preservation of the planet, it is the best they can do.
“Hopefully, in the future, Senate processes will better align with science, economics and public will. But we cannot afford to wait that long. We cannot risk the deployment of 100+ gigawatts of new clean energy and an overall analysis of the bill confirms this deal is needed for emissions reductions.
“The current process to build the transmission desperately needed is arduous, expensive, and lined with bureaucratic red tape. In order to meet our climate goals, and as renewable energy projects continue to become more economically viable, we must enact reasonable permitting reform - which includes expedited review processes that also maintain fundamental environmental protections. Anything less is failing to do what is scientifically necessary to preserve our planet.”
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