Some of the nation’s major electric utilities are raising concerns with a bipartisan permitting and transmission package that top lawmakers hope to advance by year’s end.
In recent weeks, lobbyists for Duke Energy and Southern Co. have been meeting with congressional offices to try to influence the package from Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). They are, broadly, worried about states losing transmission planning control in the face of increased federal authority.
In addition, rural cooperatives and public power utilities have made their objections known.
“In its current form,” said Louis Finkel, a senior vice president at National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, “the Manchin-Barrasso transmission title would greatly expand federal control over co-ops, subjecting them to unacceptable regulation and driving up costs for consumers.”
