Council Praises Chairman Bingaman’s Plan to Create National Transmission Superhighway

WASHINGTON—The Council on Competitiveness today applauds Chairman Jeff Bingaman and his colleagues on the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources for rolling out a legislative proposal that would make the National Transmission Superhighway a reality.

?“We have a lot of respect for Chairman Bingaman,” said Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness. “He is one of America’s most forward-thinking leaders on energy transformation. The chairman understands that a National Transmission Superhighway is absolutely imperative to U.S. competitivenes and that the federal government has to take the lead to make this a reality.”

“Sen. Bingaman has been a real consensus builder on energy policy,” said Council Distinguished Fellow Andy Karsner, former assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. “This is a big piece of the puzzle, and we want to support the effort to establish true national connectivity as soon as possible.”

Prioritize, the Council’s 100 Day Energy Action Plan, calls for the creation of such a National Transmission Superhighway to make America’s electric grid more reliable, more secure and capable of providing on and off ramps for all energy sources in the 21st century. Like America’s legendary interstate highway system and the information superhighway, an intelligent national electricity transmission system will unleash the dynamic capacity of America’s private sector to innovate, create jobs and stimulate economic growth while retaining and strengthening current consumer and worker protections.