A coalition of labor and environmental groups is supporting Minnesota legislation to remove barriers to building power lines in the rights-of-way of federal highways in the state. The coalition, NextGen Highways, advocates for co-location of utility infrastructure in existing highway corridors as a way to expand the electric grid. However, this concept faces legal, financial, and technical obstacles across the country. One example involves a state law requiring utilities to pay utilities if they are forced to move assets in federal highway rights-to-way, which would shift these costs to utilities. Without this change, state won’t allow transmission projects to be built in its portion of federal highway. The legislation has been proposed multiple times since 2012 but has faced opposition from utilities.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
