January 20, 2024 - On Thursday, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) published a report calling out the double standard between streamlined government approval of gas pipelines and the bureaucratic permitting process for new electrical transmission lines. Her report argues this policy is holding back our clean energy transition and delaying record investments in renewable energy made during the Biden Administration.

Read her report, Refocusing Our Energy: Responsible Permitting Reform Through Promoting Electrical Transmission, HERE.

“Creating a strong, stable, globally competitive economy starts with transitioning to clean energy to power our homes, businesses, and transportation,” said Rep. Porter. “It makes no sense that the government can streamline the approval of new, interstate natural gas pipelines, but not the infrastructure that connects renewable energy to the electrical grid. I’m publishing this new report to make clear for the American people how bureaucratic hurdles are holding us back from unleashing clean energy.”

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has the authority to streamline approval for interstate natural gas pipelines, but not other energy projects. New electrical transmission lines—the critical connection between wind, solar, and other clean energy projects and the people in need of power—must be approved in each local and state jurisdiction they pass through. Rep. Porter’s report investigates this double standard and outlines how Democrats can advocate for permitting reform that promotes clean energy. 

Her full report, Refocusing Our Energy: Responsible Permitting Reform Through Promoting Electrical Transmission, is available online HERE.

Congresswoman Porter is a champion for environmental protection and safeguarding our public lands. In her role on the House Natural Resources Committee, she’s challenged Big Oil executives for polluting our public lands. Rep. Porter’s bill raising the amount oil and gas companies pay to drill on public lands was signed into law in 2022. She’s also introduced legislation to promote the use of clean hydrogen to power ground and maritime transportation, and she helped secure $1.2 billion to build a regional hydrogen hub in California to research deployment in hard-to-electrify sectors. Rep. Porter has stood up for Californians to get our fair share of federal support for electric school buses that save taxpayer dollars and keep our communities healthy.
Source: Congresswoman Katie Porter