Overview
On November 16, 2023 Daily Energy Insider quoted Marc Spitzer in an article titled, “Support solidifies for Wisconsin power line construction bill." The article discusses how investor-owned utilities, a bipartisan swath of state legislators, and numerous other stakeholders support a proposed bill in Wisconsin known as right of first refusal that would give electric transmission companies first dibs on building interstate power line systems Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits.
Speaking about support for the bill, Spitzer said, "Job number one is construction and maintenance of a power grid to support safe, reliable, and affordable electricity for homes and businesses. Due to multiple factors, transmission is notoriously difficult to build,” and noted that the Wisconsin bill “would ensure that companies with a proven track record of surmounting local opposition have the first crack at building new power lines needed to keep the lights on.”
Spitzer also told Daily Energy Insider that elimination of the federal ROFR by FERC was a “well-intentioned but mistaken effort to expedite construction of interstate electric transmission. The cumbersome federal solicitation process has mutated into a bureaucratic morass that impedes grid expansion,” he wrote in an email. “The past 11 years show lassitude produces supply chain challenges, carrying charges, and ultimately cost overruns borne by ratepayers.”
