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THE SENATE'S TRANSMISSION KING

 * Nick Sobczyk

Mar 27, 2023
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Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios

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⚡️Martin Heinrich spends a lot of time figuring out how to get more renewable
power onto the grid.

Why it matters: The U.S. needs to build interstate power lines at lightning
speed to meet President Biden’s climate goals. Heinrich is at the center of that
push on the Hill — and he might be the next top Democrat on Energy and Natural
Resources.

Details: Ask Heinrich what’s on his legislative agenda, and transmission is the
first thing he’ll bring up. He even posted an explainer a couple years back.

 * It’s an area where lawmakers could find “bipartisan runway” because of the
   ongoing discussion about environmental permits in a politically challenging
   Congress, he said.
 * He plans to reintroduce his legislation to create an investment tax credit
   for regional transmission projects, as well as a separate bill to overhaul
   the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s regional transmission planning
   process.
 * Heinrich’s also planning legislation that would give FERC more power to
   permit and site those power lines, as we wrote this month.
 * The bills seek to address two issues — cost allocation and siting — that
   experts say are the biggest barriers in the messy bureaucratic world of power
   transmission.

Zoom in: Heinrich has a personal stake in this issue, having spent essentially
his entire congressional career trying to get the SunZia Southwest Transmission
Project through the permitting process.

 * The 550-mile line would send renewable power from New Mexico to bigger
   markets in Arizona and California. The project is nearing final approval.
 * “I really enjoy the challenge of it, but it shouldn't take 14 years to get a
   power line permitted. You should be able to get to yes, or, if it's poorly
   constructed, no, in five or six years,” he said.

☕️What he’s saying: Heinrich spelled out his views over coffee in his Hart
office.

 * On permits, he said Congress could make the National Environmental Policy Act
   “work better” by setting time limits and improving agency coordination.
 * “What typically hangs up these projects is one person or agency that is out
   of step with the consensus that has been created among the others,” Heinrich
   said, pointing back to SunZia. “And we just can't have a situation where
   anyone gets a complete veto.”

Between the lines: Joe Manchin maintains a firm grasp on the the ENR chair, but
both he and Heinrich are up for re-election in 2024.

 * Those ahead of Heinrich in seniority — Ron Wyden, Maria Cantwell and Bernie
   Sanders — currently hold other chairs.



Go deeper: Heinrich doesn’t like to talk about Manchin, but their relationship
has been the subject of palace intrigue.

 * Heinrich went public with his displeasure when Manchin pulled support for
   Build Back Better (before coming back to pass the IRA): “Senator Manchin’s
   refusal to act is infuriating. It makes me question why he’s Chair of ENR,”
   he tweeted at the time.
 * Heinrich also has become a target of Dan Sullivan, who routinely castigates
   him for opposing drilling in Alaska while New Mexico rakes in cash from the
   Permian Basin (E&E News).

Zoom out: That oil tension is fundamental to Heinrich’s view of the energy
transition.

 * “What we have to be prepared for as a state — because we're so over-dependent
   on severance taxes for oil and gas — is not so much for the day when we're
   producing zero, but when the whole system tips over and you have a declining
   market share,” Heinrich said.

1 fun thing: Heinrich is in the process of electrifying his family home and
getting rid of all gas appliances.

 * For the record, he loves his induction stove: “For making something like
   carne adovada, which is a tough kind of meat that you're going to cook in red
   chile sauce until it just falls apart, it works really well. It boils water
   so fast, it's outrageous.”

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GO DEEPER

 * Torey Van Oot, author of Axios Twin Cities

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy


FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER FOUND GUILTY FOR ROLE IN GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH

Former Minneapolis police officer found guilty for role in George Floyd's death

Former Minneapolis Police officer Tou Thao (L) and his attorney Earl Gray exit
the Hennepin County Government Center, after a courthouse appearance, on July
21, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

A former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders as Derek Chauvin
restrained George Floyd has been convicted of aiding and abetting second-degree
manslaughter.

Driving the news: Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill issued his decision against
Tou Thao in court documents filed Monday night. The more serious charge of
aiding and abetting murder was dropped.

Go deeper (1 min. read)
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 * Ayurella Horn-Muller

3 hours ago - Energy & Environment


WHAT AN EL NIÑO COULD MEAN FOR FOOD PRICES

What an El Niño could mean for food prices

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

A looming El Niño — an ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that shifts temperatures and
changes rainfall patterns — could lead to declines in U.S. agricultural
production.

Why it matters: Any decrease in agricultural production could further spike food
costs and exacerbate the state of food insecurity across the country.

Go deeper (2 min. read)
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 * Ryan Heath

5 hours ago - Technology


AI EXPERTS WARN OF LOOMING CATASTROPHES

AI experts warn of looming catastrophes

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

The "godfather of AI" quit Google and joined a growing chorus of experts warning
that the rush to deploy artificial intelligence could lead to disaster.

Why it matters: When some of the smartest people building a technology warn it
could turn on humans and shred our institutions, it's worth listening.

Go deeper (2 min. read)
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