{"id":24101,"date":"2024-06-06T08:51:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T13:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=24101"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T01:20:14","slug":"building-a-better-grid-the-latest-steps-to-deliver-reliable-affordable-and-clean-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2024\/06\/06\/building-a-better-grid-the-latest-steps-to-deliver-reliable-affordable-and-clean-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a better grid: The latest steps to deliver reliable, affordable and clean power"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of us don\u2019t realize how much of our livelihoods depend on a reliable electricity grid, until we lose power in a blackout or outage.<\/p>\n

For many communities across the country, that is becoming a more common occurrence<\/a> as we experience more frequent and severe storms and heat waves worsened by climate change. Just last week, nearly 200,000 people<\/a> across several midwestern and southern states lost power after a blitz of tornadoes and thunderstorms.<\/p>\n

This extreme weather threat is amplified by outdated grid infrastructure and increasing electricity demand.<\/p>\n

One essential solution to meeting these challenges \u2013 and driving meaningful progress toward a clean energy future \u2013 is building a more modern, reliable and clean grid. This is exactly what the Biden administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are doing with a suite of grid-strengthening actions over the last month.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you should know about these latest actions and why they matter:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

FERC releases rules to accelerate the buildout of a 21st<\/sup> century electric grid<\/strong><\/h3>\n

FERC, an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, issued two rules that aim to speed and strengthen the buildout of a modern and reliable electric transmission system across the country.<\/p>\n

Our power grid is at the heart of a clean energy economy, as electric cars, trucks, buses, and buildings increasingly rely on clean electricity. One key issue, though, is that we currently aren\u2019t connecting and delivering <\/em>new clean power fast enough because of a lack of electric transmission lines. Case in point: Despite record growth<\/a> in clean energy installations in 2023 spurred by President Biden\u2019s Inflation Reduction Act, recent growth in new transmission has only been 1% <\/strong>\u2013 far from the pace needed to reach our climate goals.<\/p>\n

Transmission buildout has been slow, in part, because many regional planning processes are siloed, states often disagree on who pays for new transmission lines, and planning rarely fully considers future electricity grid developments and scenarios, including increasing renewables and storage.<\/p>\n

The lack of sufficient transmission lines has also increased ratepayer bills by more than $20 billion<\/a> and contributed to blackouts during extreme weather events, including Winter Storm Uri<\/a>, Winter Storm Elliot<\/a>, and summer heat waves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What the FERC rules will do:<\/strong> At a high level, these rules will make transmission planning more efficient, forward-looking and better coordinated<\/strong> across states and power companies while ensuring meaningful engagement with communities.<\/p>\n