FILE - Wind turbines work in Livermore, Calif., Aug. 10, 2022. Federal energy regulators on Monday, May 13, 2024, approved a long-awaited rule to expand the amount of renewable energy such as wind and solar power that is transmitted to the electric grid, a key part of President Joe Bidens goal to decarbonize the economy by 2050.
“This rule cannot come fast enough,'' he said at a packed commission meeting at the agency's Washington headquarters."Our grid cannot wait.'' At the same time, construction of high-voltage power lines declined to a record low in 2022,"and much of that construction was simply Band-Aid fixes, rather than building a visionary grid of the future,'' Phillips said.
“Instead, this rule is a pretext to enact a sweeping policy agenda that Congress never passed,″ he said. The rule will likely result in “a massive transfer of wealth from consumers to for-profit special interests,″ primarily wind and solar operators, he said. White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi said the FERC rule adds momentum to what he called the ″historic progress″ led by Biden on clean energy. The new rule “will improve regional transmission planning, break down barriers to grid buildout and support the delivery of more affordable and reliable power,″ Zaidi said,