WIRES Petition
On November 12, WIRES (Working Group for Investment in Reliable and Economic Electric Systems) called for aggressive action on the part of the FERC to remove barriers to development of the electric grid. The WIRES petition requested that FERC conduct a rulemaking proceeding to clarify its transmission cost allocation approach. The group believes that FERC action is necessary in order to advance the critical transmission development needed to facilitate America's growing energy demand and the integration of renewable energy resources.
Coalition leaders stated in a news release, "WIRES believes that transmission providers, customers, and the economy in general would benefit from a stronger transmission investment response fostered by a more coherent regulatory framework for cost allocation decisi"
Within the petition, WIRES members asked that FERC provide the industry with cost allocation principles that can be applied on a national scale, as well as guidance to govern the allocation of cost to ratepayers with respect to all future high-voltage electric transmission expansions and upgrades that fall under the purview of the agency. The coalition is calling for a more coherent regulatory framework for cost allocation decisions related to major transmission infrastructure investments that will remove the bottleneck that is currently holding up critical development. WIRES' leaders are careful to note that they do not advocate any single cost allocation approach. From their perspective, a solution must accommodate important differences in regional transmission operations that may affect who benefits from new transmission facilities.
Finally, WIRES encourages FERC to enact principles that will allow the flexibility necessary to ensure that people who benefit from transmission upgrades share the cost of development. At the same time, WIRES believes that FERC must ensure that people who do not benefit from new transmission projects, at any point of the project's useful life, should not have to pay.