In an effort to maintain attention on the difficulty of gaining government approvals for electrical power transmission projects, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published the 2012 Edition of Siting Transmission Corridors—A Real Life Game of Chutes and Ladders.

Using the format of Hasbro’s Chutes and Ladders, this publication charts the real life challenges of siting transmission corridors, which are integral to the creation of a sustainable energy portfolio, job growth, and economic opportunity. Presented as a roadmap, Siting Transmission Corridors explores the intricacies of the administrative processes involved in connecting energy sources to the electrical grid.

According to NEMA President and CEO Evan R. Gaddis, the policies affecting the movement of electricity from generation to end-use are complex, burdensome, and at various times redundant or conflicting.

“No matter how we generate electricity—coal, natural gas, nuclear, water, wind, or solar—we must be able to efficiently deliver it to the consumer. Transmission corridors are the means by which energy moves from source to destination,” Gaddis said. “It can take years of skillful navigation with millions of dollars and thousands of jobs on the line to construct even one corridor.”

Siting Transmission Corridors employs the concept of Chutes and Ladders to depict federal, state, and local policies that govern the development of transmission corridors and the power lines that are built within them. Proponents and opponents agree—load growth, construction permits, wildlife protection, property rights, and other concerns must all be addressed before lines can be built.

“NEMA is a strong proponent of a national siting policy and supports legislation that designates FERC as the lead agency for conducting environmental reviews. A clear nationwide transmission line siting process would streamline current practices, facilitate construction, create domestic jobs, and expedite transmission corridors necessary for delivering clean and renewable energy,” Gaddis said.