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The U.S. is experiencing unprecedented costs for electricity transmission, with experts attributing the slowdown in the development of long-range, high-voltage power lines to a regulatory gap between federal and state oversight. This gap has led to monopolistic practices among utility companies, which are allowed to charge consumers without sufficient regulatory scrutiny. Consumer advocates have expressed frustration, noting that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has not acted on policy fixes requested by states and consumer groups since the problem was identified in 2022. As a result, consumer groups have resorted to filing regulatory complaints to seek relief. The lack of competition and effective oversight means that there is little incentive for utilities to control costs, ultimately leading to higher expenses for consumers.