The two new executive orders fail to address or mention clean energy or its infrastructure.
The U.S. Government recently announced two new executive orders aimed at streamlining the federal processes around energy infrastructure development.
According to a government-released fact sheet, the first order is designed to “addresses the regional and local energy supply constraints and to promote an efficient energy market.” The other aims to “improve the process for issuing Presidential permits for certain cross-border infrastructure projects.”
In response to the announcement, Amy Farrell, Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs with the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), released the following statement:
“We agree enhancing U.S. energy infrastructure is a critical priority, but these executive orders miss a major opportunity by focusing almost exclusively on pipelines, whose capacity has increased ten times faster than electric transmission capacity over the past decade. The U.S. electric grid was rated an unacceptable D+ by the American Society of Civil Engineers—hardly the backbone we need for a 21st Century, high-tech U.S. economy. With billions in private investment to upgrade and expand transmission infrastructure being held up by regulatory uncertainty and inefficient process, we are missing a huge opportunity by focusing on only part of the infrastructure solution.”
Filed Under: News, Policy
