Heinrich Announces Legislation to Improve Electric Transmission Planning

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced legislation to jump start the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) interregional transmission planning process.

“If we want to confront the climate crisis and make our electric grid more resilient and reliable, we need to be thinking across regions,” said Heinrich. “This bill will direct FERC to formalize an interregional planning process. It will be key to modernizing our electric grid in a way that creates good-paying jobs and helps us transition to a clean energy future.”

The bill, first introduced by Senator Heinrich in 2019, directs FERC to create an interregional transmission planning process and ensure that cost allocation methodologies consider economic, reliability, and operational benefits. The bill directs FERC to promulgate a final rule within 18 months of enactment.

The Interregional Transmission Planning Improvement Act directs FERC to consider in its rulemaking:

• The effectiveness of the existing interregional planning process.
• Specific improvement to the process that would meet the stated goals of Order 1000.
• Cost allocation methodologies that reflect the multiple benefits provided by interregional solutions.

The bill directs FERC to initiate the rulemaking within six months of enactment and complete a final rule within 18 months of enactment.

A copy of the Interregional Transmission Planning Improvement Act is available here.  Supporting quotes for the Interregional Transmission Planning Improvement Act are available here.