Media Contact:
Kristie Eshelman – Director of Communications
Email: keshelman@niskanencenter.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 30, 2026 – The Niskanen Center strongly supports the introduction of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026. This legislation includes the most consequential congressional transmission policies proposed in two decades, addressing longstanding barriers to planning, siting, and building the interstate grid.
“The U.S. must dramatically accelerate transmission buildout to bring Americans reliable power at a lower cost. But we can’t get there when it takes a decade or more to approve a single line,” said Dr. Liza Reed, Niskanen’s Director of Climate and Energy Policy. “The transmission provisions in the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act will unlock key barriers to grid deployment and domestic clean energy supply.”
Key transmission provisions of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act include:
- Streamlining the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s existing backstop siting authority by eliminating the prerequisite corridor designation by DOE;
- Requiring interregional transmission planning and cost allocation; and
- Codifying the prohibition on a federal right of first refusal for transmission selected in a regional plan and extending that prohibition to lines selected in an interregional plan.
This legislation comes at a pivotal moment when efforts to modernize and expand the grid are critical to meet rising electricity demand, keep costs in check, and keep electricity reliable for American families and businesses. “The Niskanen Center applauds Chairs Mike Lee and Shelley Moore Capito and Ranking Members Martin Heinrich and Sheldon Whitehouse for their leadership in negotiating this bipartisan package,” Dr. Reed said. “We urge Congress to seize this opportunity to pass durable permitting reforms that can strengthen reliability, lower costs, support economic growth, and accelerate energy infrastructure construction.”
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The Niskanen Center is a 501(c)(3) advocacy organization established in 2014 to change public policy through direct engagement in the policymaking process.
