On January 12, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the “Building a Better Grid” Initiative to tackle the climate crisis at the national, state, and local level by delivering clean energy from where it’s produced to where it’s needed. The initiative will enhance transmission planning to identify high-priority areas while conducting a national-scale transmission planning analysis leveraging DOE’s cutting-edge analytical tools and technology expertise.

The Building a Better Grid Initiative will engage and collaborate early and often with states, tribal nations, industry, environmental groups and other stakeholders to ensure transmission projects meet local needs and benefit communities. Coordination with federal agencies is required to facilitate an efficient transmission-permitting process and perform transmission-related research and development to continue developing and reducing the costs of necessary technologies.

Transmission projects will be financed through more than $20 billion in federal financing tools to provide every American access to reliable, affordable energy and home internet.