New interstate transmission lines take 10-15 years to permit, making it impossible to build grid capacity fast enough for the energy transition

New high-voltage interstate transmission lines require an average of 4+ years just for permitting (before construction begins), with many projects stretching to 10-15 years total. Idaho Power's Boardman-to-Hemingway (B2H) line, originally expected to energize in 2021, is now projected for no sooner than 2027 -- a 15+ year permitting timeline. Puget Sound Energy's 16-mile Energize Eastside project took 10 years from launch to energization. Why it matters: Grid planners identified over 22,000 miles of new transmission needed by 2035 to meet reliability and clean energy goals, but at current permitting speeds only a fraction can be built in time, so renewable energy projects in resource-rich areas (Great Plains wind, Southwest solar) cannot deliver power to demand centers on the coasts. Stranded renewable capacity means utilities must keep running fossil plants in load centers, so grid emissions reductions stall. Permitting delays also add direct costs -- Energize Eastside's delays added $52.4 million (11.5%) to the project budget -- so ratepayers pay more for less. Developers facing decade-long timelines and uncertain outcomes redirect capital to less impactful projects or other sectors entirely, so the pipeline of future transmission projects shrinks. A shrinking pipeline means the grid becomes increasingly constrained, so the probability of regional blackouts during extreme weather events rises with each passing year. The structural root cause is that transmission line siting requires approvals from multiple federal agencies (NEPA reviews, BLM land permits, Fish & Wildlife consultations), state public utility commissions, and local governments -- each with independent timelines, appeal processes, and veto power. No single entity has authority to coordinate or override these parallel processes. The DOE's April 2024 permitting reform rule attempts to streamline federal review to 2 years, but state and local approvals remain unaffected.