We Don’t Need Another Interregional Transmission Study to Take Action

This policy brief by RMI argues that the United States does not need further studies to justify expanding interregional electricity transmission, as the need is already well-documented. The author contends that current grid bottlenecks are delaying clean energy projects and increasing vulnerability to extreme weather, urging Congress to implement minimum transfer requirements, mandate proactive planning, and streamline permitting processes.

• The US electricity grid is currently facing a significant imbalance where the number of new projects waiting in interconnection queues exceeds the existing generation capacity, largely due to a lack of long-distance transmission capability.
• RMI argues that the need for interregional transmission is already well-established through decades of research, including a February Department of Energy (DOE) National Transmission Needs Study that analyzed over 50 industry reports and 200 scenarios.
• A proposed minimum interregional transfer capability requirement of 30 percent of a region's peak electricity demand—as suggested in the BIG WIRES Act—would increase resilience and provide a first step toward meeting future needs, though it would still fall short of what is required for full decarbonization, particularly in regions like MISO and SPP.
• The US may need to at least double its overall transmission capacity within the next 20 years, but current progress is slow; major projects take an average of 10 years from proposal to construction, and all currently active major projects would only increase overall capacity by 15 percent.
• To resolve grid bottlenecks, RMI recommends three primary actions: implementing a minimum interregional transfer capability requirement via FERC, mandating proactive interregional transmission planning and cost allocation standards, and streamlining federal and state permitting processes.

APA

RMI (2023). We Don’t Need Another Interregional Transmission Study to Take Action. https://rmi.org/resources/we-dont-need-another-interregional-transmission-study-to-take-action/

Chicago

RMI. We Don’t Need Another Interregional Transmission Study to Take Action. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/we-dont-need-another-interregional-transmission-study-to-take-action/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=We Don’t Need Another Interregional Transmission Study to Take Action |date=14 September 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/we-dont-need-another-interregional-transmission-study-to-take-action/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023dont, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{We Don’t Need Another Interregional Transmission Study to Take Action}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/we-dont-need-another-interregional-transmission-study-to-take-action/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }