Deep Dive: FERC’s Big New Rule

Commissioners at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are triumphant. This week, the commission debuted Rule 1920, what some are calling “the most significant regulatory milestone concerning interstate power lines in nearly three decades.” FERC Chairman Willie Phillips said, “Our nation needs a new foundation to get badly needed new transmission planned, paid for and built. With this  new rule, that starts today.”

Phillips’s colleague, Allison Clements, said the new “rule is a massive step forward that I encourage all parties to take together. The opportunity is immense, with room for everyone to succeed.” Green groups have celebrated it as a win for climate.

The thirteen hundred page rule, which can be found here, is intended to facilitate transmission planning, cost allocation, and hasten the energy transition to wind and solar. Order 1920 establishes an (at minimum) 20-year planning horizon for expanding regional transmission. Most of that transmission is for wind and solar projects.

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