At a meeting of western states on the subject of renewable transmission, one state official lamented that the major obstacle to new lines, in some specific cases, was the federal government itself, with disparate agencies creating multiple hurdles. I found the comment non-intuitive. Isn’t transmission siting primarily restricted by disagreements between states on cost recovery and a NIMBY mentality? Since the comment was made in an off-the-record setting, I filed it and moved on until substantial supporting evidence emerged. Now, after reviewing an EPA letter to the Tehachapi project, I understand the state official’s comment. For certain classes of lines – those that have all necessary state-level approvals – the Federal government can act as an unintended barrier.

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