WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) to reform the electric regional transmission planning and cost allocation process governing America’s outdated transmission system.

Following is a statement from Sean Gallagher, vice president of state and regulatory affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA):

“This proceeding is a critical next step to encourage the significant transmission system upgrades that we need to bring more renewable energy projects online. In addition to numerous policy challenges facing developers, lack of access to high-voltage transmission lines continues to be a roadblock for delivering clean energy from where it’s generated to the homes and businesses where it’s consumed.

“SEIA will advocate for several important items during this process, including giving more voice to independent power producers and expanding the factors considered during transmission planning to account for all the benefits that clean energy offers.

“The threat of climate change means that we must act quickly to decarbonize the power sector, and this FERC proceeding is a historic opportunity to speed up the transition to clean energy. Solar and storage voices will play an active role in these discussions around transmission reforms, and we are grateful to the Commission for moving this important process forward.”