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Western Governors Turn Focus to Need for More Power Lines by Michael Janofsky New York Times, May 10, 2001

Salt Lake City, — Saying the nation had failed to build enough transmission lines to satisfy soaring energy demands, the Western Governors' Association took steps today to figure out — quickly — how to build new power lines across the region.

A panel of energy experts was asked to produce, by July 15, a preliminary plan addressing a recent directive of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that Western states find a regional solution to their energy problems rather than state- by-state answers.

Comparing the challenge to one that President Dwight D. Eisenhower met half a century ago by authorizing construction of an Interstate highway system, the association's chairman, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, told two dozen energy experts and government officials at a meeting here, "We need the same level of commitment for this."

The governors' action, combined with a proposal within the Bush administration to seek legislation allowing the government to seize private property for stringing power lines, seemed to give new impetus to an often-overlooked part of the nation's energy picture.

While many Western states are building new power plants, efforts to build new towers and transmission lines have been far less aggressive. Some officials blame local community groups that have fought such construction by protest and legal challenge. Others say energy deregulation, while giving plenty of financial incentive for investment in power generation, offered little for investment in transmission lines.

In either case, everyone agrees that there is enormous stress on the existing Western grid of 115,400 miles of electricity lines, especially at times of peak demand. The system has not been significantly expanded in more than seven years, and only about 2,600 miles of power lines are scheduled to be added over the next decade.

The four governors here — Judy Martz of Montana, Jim Geringer of Wyoming, Michael O. Leavitt of Utah and Mr. Kempthorne, Republicans all — contended that the recent California blackouts demonstrated a need for new transmission capacity.

Agreement that a regional solution was required emerged at the meeting with barely a hint of objection, though the West's three Democratic governors did not attend and three energy officials from California who did were noncommittal.

One of the few environmentalists participating, James F. Gilliam, co- director of the Land and Water Fund, said, "There are not enough cautionary voices" in the debate. But he conceded: "In some areas there is an urgent need for more transmission lines. There's no question the system has been under-invested in over the last 10 years."

In a prelude to the action that the governors took today, Bush administration officials said on Tuesday that the final draft of a new national energy plan, to be made public next week, could include a provision seeking legislation that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the power to condemn private property for the siting of new power lines.

The commission currently has that power, eminent domain, for the siting of natural gas pipelines but not power lines. The lack of such authority requires energy companies to seek approval of individual state and local governments, a process that can add years to the construction schedule.

Vice President Dick Cheney, who heads the task force developing the administration's national energy plan, said this week that the panel had suggested the nation would benefit if the government had eminent domain authority for power lines.

"The issue is whether or not we should have the same authority on electrical transmission lines" as on gas pipelines, Mr. Cheney said. "That's never been granted previously."

But it was not clear whether the governors would welcome that kind of action from Washington.

Emphasizing a need for local partnerships, Governor Leavitt, of Utah, said: "That's the kind of solution that gets everyone nervous and brings out the antifederalist in a lot of people. I don't think that's ultimately going to happen."