30+ Organizations Urge Congress to Support Robust Transmission Funding in FY 2023 Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A diverse coalition of more than 30 clean energy organizations, environmental nonprofits, labor unions, consumer groups, developers and other companies sent a joint letter to Congress today urging robust funding for high-voltage transmission deployment and research in the Department of Energy’s FY 2023 budget.

In the letter, the organizations stated their support for the critical work being done by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office, Loan Programs Office (LPO), and Office of Electricity (OE), writing that new funding for these offices will “drive substantial clean energy deployment, unleash billions in private investment, create thousands of new jobs, deliver low-cost energy to benefit customers, and substantially reduce emissions.”

“Our energy transmission infrastructure is essential to providing Americans access to the power they need,” the organizations wrote. “To ensure American families and businesses always have access to power, it is imperative that we invest in and build new transmission to make our grid more reliable, resilient, and interconnected. Upgraded and expanded transmission lines will keep costs down by bringing diverse types of affordable, clean power to more communities.”

In the letter, the organizations encourage Congress to consider the following:

• Additional funding for the Transmission Facilitation Program
• Additional funding for deployment of technologies to enhance grid flexibility
• Grants for enhancing grid resilience
• Funding for Title XVII – Loan Guarantees
• ‘Moonshot’ funding for converter stations
• National transmission planning needs and long-term planning studies
• Transmission planning technical assistance for states

The signatories on the letter include the Advanced Power Alliance, American Clean Power Association, American Council on Renewable Energy, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid,  Anbaric, Apex Energy, Avangrid, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Clean Energy Buyers Association, CustomerFirst Renewables LLC, Direct Connect Development Company, EDF Renewables, Enel North America, ENGIE North America Inc, Hannon Armstrong, IBEW Local 1245, Infrastructure & Energy Alternatives (IEA), Innergex, Invenergy, Lightsource bp, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Ocean Winds NA, Ørsted, Pine Gate Renewables, Renewable Northwest, RES Group, Smart Wires Inc, Sol Systems, Solar Energy Industries Association, TPI Composites Inc., VEIR, and the WATT Coalition.

To view the joint letter, click here.

About ACORE: For more than 20 years, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) has been the nation’s premier pan-renewable nonprofit organization. ACORE unites finance, policy and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. For more information, please visit www.acore.org.

About ACEG: Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) is a non-profit broad-based public interest advocacy coalition focused on the need to expand, integrate, and modernize the North American high-voltage grid. ACEG brings together the diverse support for an expanded and modernized grid from business, labor, consumer and environmental groups, and other transmission supporters to educate policymakers and key opinion leaders to support policy which recognizes the benefits of a robust transmission grid. ACEG is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, please visit www.cleanenergygrid.org.

Media Contacts:

ACORE: Alex Hobson, Vice President of Communications, ACORE
hobson@acore.org | 202.777.7584 (o) | 202.594.0706 (c)

ACEG: Sabreen Ahmed, Communications Associate, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid
sabreen@dgardiner.com | 703.717.5592 (o) | 770.576.5343 (c)