This session is a conversation with Secretary Moniz about the transformation of the grid required to meet the Net Zero goals envisioned in the IRA. Today, planning, permitting, and siting long-distance transmission lines, it takes 15 years - a time frame that is too long to meet spiking electricity demand and the need to accelerate the decarbonization of the economy. The main obstacles to building a grid organized around wind, solar, and hydro power are not technical or economic, but social, political, and legal. 

How can the nation accelerate development of its grid infrastructure without generating an enormous political blowback? 

How can we create an electricity grid to meet our future electricity needs but reflects the values of local communities?

This conversation addresses these questions and marks the release of the Salata Institute's new study of the obstacles to long-distance transmission development in the United States.