Casten leaves the Capitol in July. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Rep. Sean Casten says his legislation to improve electric transmission rollout is the avenue to get Democratic support for a broader permitting reform package.
Why it matters: The Senate permitting proposal approved by Energy and Natural Resources last month included major priorities for Casten: provisions aiding long-range transmission lines and settling disputes over how to pay for them.
- But even if the Senate passes the Manchin-Barrasso proposal, it faces a different state of play in the House, Casten said.
The big picture: The House GOP permitting proposal dropped this month focuses on NEPA overhaul as a way to build out the grid — and fails to address the root of the problem, Casten told Axios on the sidelines of a Semafor-hosted event Tuesday.
- The real challenge facing renewable energy, Casten said, is long wait times to connect to the grid and supply chain and labor issues. And long-range lines haven't been built because of disagreements over who pays for them.
- And the House, with a slim GOP majority ahead of the election, will likely need support from Democrats, many of whom oppose changing the 1970 environmental law.
- "If you're trying to deploy clean energy, NEPA is not the issue," Casten said. "If you're trying to save the fossil fuel industry, NEPA is the issue."
Between the lines: Casten's permitting bill with Rep. Mike Levin, the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act, has 81 cosponsors across the ideological spectrum, he said.
- CETA goes further than Manchin-Barrasso by including a 30% transmission investment tax credit and requiring a minimum electricity transfer capacity between grid regions.
The bottom line: "There's really no way you can get something through the House that isn't centered on that plan," Casten said.
