I speak of turf . Our regulators have not exactly been marching in lock-step. At present, energy projects are subjected to a regulatory bottleneck of multiple reviews by state, federal and local bodies. Opponents use competing jurisdictions to their strategic advantage. Wear a gas mask at a public hearing and you ll get your picture in the morning newspaper and might even scare your local elected officials into a short-sighted veto.
Transmission is a prime example of one function under multiple layers of regulation.
The movement of electricity is a national business. Current regulation is split between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and state commissions. The industry s third problem, is mainly a psychological disorder. I ll call it magic thinking. Many in the consuming public still firmly believe that energy is magic.