Environmental advocacy groups continue to oppose mining efforts within the US, despite pushing for a green future through electric vehicles that require large amounts of copper and other mined resources.
States are increasingly turning their attention to the transmission lines, substations and transformers needed to get that electricity from renewable energy sources into homes and businesses.
The rate of grid expansion needs to double to bring wind and solar online and would cost $700 billion. Advocates want utilities and grid operators to build infrastructure that aligns with the states’ clean energy goals.
A complex web of independent system operators, state regulators and utility companies oversee the planning and construction of new grid infrastructure, with frequent disagreements about who should bear the cost.