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Home » News » Business

Monday, March 16, 2009

Electricity grid gets boost from Congress

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State-federal power struggle slows system's overhaul

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  • Wall bushings with Corona Rings draw electricity to and from the transformers into the valves at Bonneville Powers Celilo Converter Station in the Dalles, Ore. The Celilo plant is a transfer station for power traveling to and from California. At left, a cyclist rides near power-line pylons from a California Department of Power and Water generating plant in Long Beach. (Getty Images)
  • A cyclist rides near pylons carrying electrical power lines from a California Department of Power and Water generating plant in Long Beach. (Bloomberg News)
  • Pylons carry electrical power lines from a California Department of Power and Water generating plant in Long Beach. The stimulus bill signed by President Obama in mid-February includes $11 billion for improvements to the national power transmission grid - an investment many policymakers label as an essential component of increasing green energy and efficiency. (Bloomberg News)
  • Pylons carry electrical power lines in the Mojave Desert in California. President Obama's budget plan assumes $78.7 billion in revenue in 2012 from the sale of greenhouse-gas emission permits to polluters, putting pressure on Congress to pass legislation by early next year. Initial funds would be used to invest in "clean" energy. (Bloomberg News)

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By Rosalie Westenskow UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

Congress has pledged billions for the antiquated U.S. electricity grid in an effort to stiffen the nation's energy backbone.

But although most experts agree the grid desperately needs to be updated, there's dispute about what role the federal government should play. Some groups want to see states lead the transformation; others say an integrated, timely renovation must be coordinated from Washington.

A complex web of 300,000 miles of transmission lines powers the country every day, providing energy for heating, lighting and every other power-based activity.

The stimulus bill signed by President Obama in mid-February includes $11 billion for improvements to the grid — an investment many policymakers label as an essential component of increasing green energy and efficiency. This includes everything from installing transmission lines to employing new technologies to streamline the flow of energy.

"Smart grid technologies can alter the way we use electricity," Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, said at a hearing in the House Select Committee on Global Warming last week. "I think of this as the 'energy Internet.'"

Among other things, a "smart" grid could boost energy efficiency by providing meters to help consumers evaluate their energy usage and store excess energy in the batteries of hybrid plug-in vehicles.

In 2005, Congress gave ultimate authority over the grid to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last month that FERC can't overrule a state's decision to reject a transmission project.

"The issue is that states need to have a role in the decision-making process," said Dan Scandling, spokesperson for Rep. Frank R. Wolf, Virginia Republican, who has pushed to limit federal power to build new lines.

The case before the Court of Appeals involved two power companies that plan to build a high-voltage power line through multiple states, including Maryland and Virginia, providing power for New York City.

"They were going to put in huge transmission lines and enormous towers, some as high as 17 stories, and they were going to be over some of Virginia's most historic sites," Mr. Scandling said. "It's all about serving these large population centers."

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