Obama Power Line Projects Aim To Modernize Nation's Grid

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Wednesday moved to speed up permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines in 12 states, saying the projects would create thousands of jobs and help modernize the nation's power grid.

The projects are intended to serve as pilot demonstrations of streamlined federal permitting and improved cooperation among federal, state and tribal governments. The projects will provide more than 3,100 miles of new transmission lines in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In all, the projects are expected to create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, help avoid blackouts, restore power more quickly when outages occur and reduce the need for new power plants, officials said.

"To compete in the global economy, we need a modern electricity grid," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. "An upgraded electricity grid will give consumers choices while promoting energy savings, increasing energy efficiency and fostering the growth of renewable energy resources."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the seven power lines being expedited under the pilot program will serve as important links across the country to increase the capacity and reliability of the nation's power grid.

"This is the kind of critical infrastructure we should be working together to advance in order to create jobs and move our nation toward energy independence," he said.

While the projects are being expedited, officials said it still could take several years before some of the transmission lines are completed. Federal permitting of a transmission line can take a decade or longer, with a host of agencies evaluating the project and its impacts.

"It's not superfast even when we speed it up," Lauren Azar, a senior adviser to Chu, told reporters Wednesday.

David DeCampli, president of PPL Electric Utilities, and Ralph LaRossa, president of Public Service Electric and Gas. Co., which are teaming up to build a 145-mile transmission line in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, applauded the administration's efforts. Their project and others should ensure that high-priority electric infrastructure projects are built and placed in service in a timely manner, the power executives said.

Pam Eaton, deputy vice president for public lands at The Wilderness Society, called the announcement a step forward, adding that responsibly-sited power lines could improve access to abundant renewable energy resources in the West while putting thousands of people to work.

"We are pleased to see the Obama administration taking action, but will still need to see decisions that will minimize impacts to valued lands," Eaton said.

Environmental groups said they were concerned that some of the proposed lines, including the Pennsylvania-to-New Jersey project, could expand traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas, rather than renewables.

Robert Thormeyer, a spokesman for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, which represents state regulators, called the announcement a positive step.

"Generally we support anything the federal agencies can do to streamline their own processes, particularly in instances where the lines have already been approved by the states," he said.

The projects are:

_ A 500 kilovolt (kV), 300-mile transmission line proposed by Idaho Power in Oregon and Idaho.

_ 1,150 miles of high-voltage lines across Wyoming and Idaho.

_ A 210-mile, 500 kV line near Salem, Ore.

_ Two 500 kV transmission lines totaling 460 miles in Arizona and New Mexico.

_ A 700-mile, 600 kV transmission line in Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. The project is intended to help develop new wind projects in Wyoming.

_ A 150-mile, 345 kV transmission line in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

_ A 145-mile, 500 kV transmission line in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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Comments

[From Butte Montana]

10:55 PM on 10/10/2011

Most commenters here get that Obama is way off base here. I worked so hard to support his election, and he disappoints me selling out to habitat destruction and industrial wind welfare.

The "jobs" are in China where all these unneeded transmission towers and conductor are made. Industrial wind is a special interest boondoggle that can't move the needle on climate change. We need distributed power generation and renewable generation closer to the load centers. The idea that Montana and Wyoming are "Saudi Arabia's" of wind for Los Angeles is the product of political games and brilliant propaganda by the American Wind Energy Association.

It's a shame to waste so much money on a scam that will backfire on the environmental movement when the facts get laid bare. Many envronmental groups are being played like a cheap violin by the hucksters of remote industrial wind and the destructive transmission that enables it.

[Genatco Ltd]

09:57 AM on 11/09/2011

Concur, The country needs careers not short time dig in the dirt jobs that cease to exist once the project is complete. Besides the environmental attack mentioned their is the personal monetary attack fossil fuels have waged..
Today main street technology energy innovation is in the development stage offering to end the lifetime servitude of large energy monopolies and fossil fuels.

The DOE and the White House have been given front row seats to view electricity energy and motion technology solutions that offers to create life time careers fostering a completely new service industry advanced energy science. However it ignores grant requests for development of anything not envisioned by any delegated authority as worthy energy solutions that would remove the entrapment and servitude of the power grid. These Fat Cats obviously don't care how much the electric and heating natural gas bill is every month in the White House because we are paying for it with high TAXES.

Entrepreneurs are being starved for capital from all fund sources as many good ideas are deemed to risky by individuals who have no back ground to even make that judgment call. Government delegate agencies waste billions of dollars on everything imaginable except technology that will free the lifetime monetary servitude the energy grid has chained over every man woman and child in the US.

Genatco gridless propulsion and electricity solutions: http://www.genatco.com/
DOE NREL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q79Crx2buMo&feature=youtu.be

[markkocaldo]

03:18 PM on 10/06/2011

Most all of this is requirement for 5 times sized long distance transmission lines required for not so renewables like wind/solar. This cost is never counted when wind/solar zeolots fudge figures justifying their dreams.

Clean and green, renewable nuclear power is built close to load centers so needs no transmission builds.

[SteveDenver]

09:45 PM on 10/06/2011

Unfortunately, in Colorado, Xcel Power wants to build solar and wind farms 100s of miles away from the load centers and waste 1/3 of the renewable energy operating turbines to charge the lines reaching to population centers.

[gmc2me]

01:52 PM on 10/06/2011

**The Obama administration on Wednesday moved to speed up permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines in 12 states, saying the projects would create thousands of jobs; In all, the projects are expected to create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs**

More like 9500 indirect or temporary jobs and 500 permanent ones.

[Genatco Ltd]

10:31 AM on 11/09/2011

So when I go to apply for all these great power grid jobs they will train me OJT right? If I can find the keyboard and operating system then no problem. If I can find the assembly line and bolt holes no problem. If I can find the stock options, benefits and pension plan package no problem. Otherwise this is more smoke and mirrors no real wealth building opportunity exists here for anyone other than the Fat Cats that own the enslaving power grid, wind generator farms and solar farms etc....

[ontariogirl]

10:38 AM on 10/06/2011

Modernize? What about solar and wind to start with?

[lightningbolt]

08:30 PM on 10/05/2011

This is a great idea.  It will create jobs, modernize the grid, save energy, and prevent blackouts.  What's not to like?

[sheila]

02:58 PM on 10/06/2011

let's see:

1. eminent domain - go look into how devastating transmission lines are on families, homes and communities (Sunrise Powerlink is a good start)

2. SF6 - considered the "worst of the worst" GHG emissions by the EPA, its half life is 3200 years (50 for CO2), nothing sequesters it and it is 23,900 times as destructive as CO2 - 80% of it is emitted by Big Transmission infrastructure

3. the inevitability of transmission failures due to wind, fire, earthquake, human error, cyberterror, vandalism, and other problems

4. the destruction of habitats, migration corridors and pristine wilderness areas

5. an excuse to build out much more deadly Big Energy generation (of any type)

6. ENORMOUS expense (sunrise powerlink will be at least $2.9 billion for 120 miles, including interconnections).

AND

7. re-monopolizing Big Energy's power at the EXACT moment when it is technically and financially feasible to produce ALL the solar power we need right on our own rooftops and other in-city sites, own it ourselves, and decentralize/stabilize/democratize and clean up our grid while providing enormous economic benefits to real people not multinational energy conglomerates (more/better/local jobs, property value increases, cash flowing TO ratepayers instead of FROM them, etc.)

Big Energy is the problem. We need to shift to local solutions, not kill more wilderness and bleed more residents dry for Big Energy profits.

[lightningbolt]

04:49 PM on 10/06/2011

This is not about big energy.  Putting solar panels on every roof is a good idea, but it won't be able to power everything.  Tall buildings don't have enough roof space to power themselves independently.  Some dense cities and large buildings will need to rely on the grid regardless of how many solar panels you put on them.  I'm totally for energy independence, but not everyone has the ability to accomplish this.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

03:10 PM on 10/05/2011

Well, we need more power so anyway we can make that happen is good for us all.

[sheila]

01:56 PM on 10/05/2011

Totally the WRONG direction, once again. Stalinist-style centralized power infrastructure is inherently insecure, unreliable, expensive, destructive and polluting.

Contrast this idiotic plan with the German program to install solar panels on every rooftop in the built environment, and construct micro-grids so that the grid becomes decentralized, democratized, clean, non-SF6 spewing (the worst GHG, released by transmission infrastructure), and far more RELIABLE and less vulnerable. THAT is the direction we should be going, this is just a complete capitulation, like always, to Big Energy.

Obama is to the right of Reagan in his slavish adoration for Big Energy and wasting taxpayer money to monopolize our power options. Unforgiveable.

[NWBrunette]

01:13 AM on 10/06/2011

As usual, I completely agree. Well said.

[gmc2me]

02:03 PM on 10/06/2011

WOW! I just stumbled onto your post and had to Fav it! I spent a little time reading some of your other comments and I really like and agree with your view on Energy.

[jeffnomelt]

01:47 PM on 10/05/2011

Isn't it amazing what fewer government regulations can achieve? Thanks for showing us how well less government can work, Mr. President.

[SoapboxKing]

01:59 PM on 10/05/2011

Considering the damage already done to this country and the world by big business (coal, oil, etc), I find this frightening.
Big Business = externalize cost, internalize profits.

[jeffnomelt]

02:11 PM on 10/05/2011

why is it liberals never include apple, GE, GM, microsoft, google, etc as big business?