The US Department of Energy unveiled a new multistep plan to accelerate power grid expansion nationally.
One of the biggest challenges in transitioning to full electrification is the current state of Maryland’s power grid. In Washington and Annapolis, policymakers recognize that in order to meet their ambitious renewable energy goals, the power grid must be quickly modernized, both to harden against the effects of climate change and to expand transmission capacity. To this end, last week, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced new plans to support expansion and resiliency.
The most significant part of the announcement was DOE’s establishment of the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Program, which aims to significantly improve federal environmental reviews and permitting processes for qualifying transmission projects. Under the CITAP Program, DOE will coordinate and lead an integrated interagency process to consolidate federal environmental reviews and authorizations within a standard two-year schedule while ensuring meaningful engagement with Tribes, local communities, and other stakeholders. Most of this will be accomplished by collecting information necessary for required authorizations to site a transmission facility before starting the permitting process.
Federal officials are taking measures to ensure that the CITAP Program will require a comprehensive public participation plan that helps project developers identify community impacts from proposed lines at the outset of the project and encourages early engagement by potential applicants with communities and Tribes. The CITAP Program will allow potential applicants and agencies to coordinate via an online portal, which will allow project developers to directly upload relevant information and necessary documentation and will offer a one-stop-shop for their Federal permitting communications. The online portal will also allow participating Federal agencies to view and provide input during the initial document collection process and during Federal environmental reviews.
What does this mean for Maryland?
Energy policy has become an increasingly important and contentious topic in Annapolis. One of the biggest yet unanswered questions has been around transmission capacity within the state and the responsibilities of each level of government to encourage expansion. These recent moves by the DOE may provide some relief to grid expansion and may also provide a roadmap for future state and county action.
