Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced today the finalization of two vital transmission rules: the transmission planning rule and the backstop siting rule. These two rules are essential to strengthening and accelerating the planning and permitting process for renewable energy and transmission. Without these rules, we risk losing nearly 80% of the emissions reductions outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act, the historic investment into clean energy signed by President Biden in 2022. 

Quentin Scott, Federal Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), made the following statement in response to the newly finalized rules:

“This announcement is a major leap forward to ease the bottlenecks that have slowed the clean energy revolution. These new federal rules will unleash the nearly 2000 gigawatts of clean energy in the transmission queue, putting us back on the pathway of 100% clean energy by 2035. 

When I talk with clean energy developers, their biggest challenge is certainty. The certainty of where they can build their projects, the certainty of how much their project will cost, and the certainty of their ability to connect to the grid. These latest FERC rules will provide that certainty.

Today, FERC used its existing authority to improve the process of planning and permitting for vital transmission lines that will make our grid more reliable and resilient. Now we call on Congress to do their part to provide the financial incentives to expand transmission capacity.”

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.