Energy Projects Sought in U.S. Face Local Hurdles

Plans must navigate legal and regulatory challenges—concerns a bill negotiated by Sen. Joe Manchin would seek to address

By Benoît Morenne of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"The U.S. needs more power to meet rising energy needs. Building the infrastructure necessary to make that happen has proven difficult.

Utility-scale energy projects such as power transmission lines and offshore wind farms have to win approval from authorities in several jurisdictions, which can take years. Communities near the projects, environmental groups and others frequently oppose the projects and challenge them in court. The result is that projects are often delayed and costs elevated, according to industry experts and executives."

"Some environmental groups have expressed support for the spending package but oppose significant changes to the permitting process, saying robust regulatory reviews are necessary to ensure communities aren’t adversely affected by energy projects.

A March Pew study found that 72% of Americans believe the federal government should encourage the development of wind and solar projects, but the infrastructure needed to support that goal often faces strong opposition at the local level out of concerns they might disfigure landscapes, endanger wildlife or threaten natural resources.

“It is very hard to build infrastructure of any kind in the United States,” said John Holdren, a former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Barack Obama who is now a Harvard University professor. “There are genuine tensions between the desire of one set of people to build stuff and the desire of the public to have a voice.”"

"Building a power line spanning several states can now take about a decade, developers said, up from five to seven years previously.In the Midwest, a roughly 102-mile transmission line from Iowa to Wisconsin has been in the works since 2011; it has yet to start delivering power. A multiyear process to secure permits and now litigation over the project’s environmental impact could push completion to the end of 2023"

"Federal permits require developers to request individual authorizations from several federal agencies"

"It took federal agencies an average of 4.5 years to prepare environmental reviews of new infrastructure between 2010 and 2018"