U.S. electricity demand is rising rapidly, and all the while the electric system is operating closer to its physical limits, causing more frequent system disturbances. These problems will increase in number and severity if we continue down our current path.

Most national attention has focused on the need for additional generation. However, the power produced by these generators cannot be delivered to the trillions of devices that use this energy without a robust network of transmission lines that links generators to local distribution networks throughout the country.

The current patchwork legacy system of jurisdictional responsibilities and competing state interests bottlenecks the needs of the 21st century electric economy. Transmission siting approvals are shared among many redundant decisionmakers based on laws enacted when interstate transmission was in its infancy. The result is that sub-regional decisions are made that fail to take full consideration of the advantages, economies of scale and the best new technologies that benefit the interconnection as a whole.

A high-voltage direct current (or DC) transmission system, for example, can overlay the alternating current or AC grid, providing significantly more capacity to move power large distances to users. High-voltage DC, however, can only be optimized by studying the electric network as a whole.

The average age of our transmission lines is between 40 and 50 years. Obtaining required approvals of new projects can take decades, and lines proposed to meet minimum reliability requirements are often rejected for political reasons or abandoned by their proponents as costs and delays accumulate. As the grid is stretched closer to its physical limits, lower-cost generators operating below their full capability cannot help regions in distress because........

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