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Utility Dive examines the role grassroots can play in leading the nation through its transmission obstacles, quoting Verna Mandez on the need for states to take more initiative.

As clean energy production ramps up, transmission reform is becoming a major priority for the renewables industry. Tens of thousands of megawatts of wind and solar capacity are in the interconnection queue, waiting to be able to connect to the grid.

The debt ceiling agreement reached by Congress and the White House earlier this month contained reforms to permitting, but not transmission. It instead requires the North American Electric Reliability Corp., or NERC, to study interregional transmission capacity needs between regions over 18 months.

“That will take time, it will take at least two years for that study to be completed,” Kasotia said in an interview. “So, personally, I do believe it’s going to delay meaningful action on transmission reform. I felt it was not a genuine request to address the transmission understanding or transmission knowledge that congressional members don’t have.”

Utility Dive outlines Advanced Energy United's request to FERC to strengthen its transmission reform plan, quoting Verna Mandez on the importance of legal and procedural frameworks for cooperation on transmission systems.

With some exceptions such as a New York-New Jersey collaboration, states and regional transmission authorities are making their own interests a priority, said Verna Mandez, the group’s transmission campaign director. A new Department of Energy study found “a significant need” for interregional transmission between almost all regions of the U.S.