Energy development attorney Seth Hilton was quoted in Utility Dive in an article titled “How Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could boost California’s energy transition,” published April 6, 2021. The article discusses the role President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could play in helping California attain its goal of 100% zero-carbon electricity reliance by 2045.
If passed, the American Jobs Plan’s investment to expand the transmission grid may provide opportunities for California to obtain some of the renewable energy it needs from other states, according to Hilton. The access to new markets could also help California address challenges related to the reliability of its power supply, which was shown to be lacking by rolling blackouts during last summer’s wildfires.
The investment in transmission might also mitigate another risk that California’s utilities need to address. “PG&E’s infrastructure is old, it’s damaged,” Hilton said. “It’s been suspected or confirmed that it’s the cause of a number of wildfires, and now we’re having repeated shutoffs because we’re concerned that our transmission infrastructure is going to spark further wildfires. So clearly a significant amount of replacement needs to be done.”