In the dynamic landscape of transmission infrastructure development, effective routing and siting practices are important for successful project completion. On March 4, 2025, I joined industry leaders in routing and siting, public involvement and transmission engineering in stunning snow-covered Sun Valley, Idaho, to discuss key routing and siting challenges, opportunities and innovations.
The all-day, hands-on workshop included project case study presentations, a panel discussion about public involvement practices, an interactive exercise for hands-on experience to identify route alternatives, and a discussion to share the latest technological advancements in routing and siting software.
Similar to our 2023 workshop, the crowd favorite part of the agenda, for both the attendees and me, was the roundtable discussions. The roundtable topics—threatened and endangered species, public outreach, agency coordination, Native American tribal coordination, mitigating construction impacts and regulatory uncertainty—were pre-selected based on attendee feedback. Attendees were able to choose up to four topics over the course of the day, to ask questions and share their biggest challenges, innovative solutions and lessons learned from their real-life projects.
Walking away from those roundtable discussions, I learned more about the challenges and opportunities within these topics and feel better able to navigate the complexities of transmission infrastructure projects. Below are some of highlights from these conversations:
Threatened and Endangered Species
When planning projects, it’s crucial to consider threatened and endangered species within the project area and develop plans to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts throughout the process. Permitting often triggers a review for special-status species by both state routing and siting commissions and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). These reviews ensure projects remain compliant with environmental regulations and species protection.
One of the key topics in this group focused on avian impacts. With the rising demand for electricity, ensuring the safety of avian species becomes increasingly important. Much of the conversation centered around mitigation measures such as line marking, electrocution prevention and nest abatement to minimize impacts on bird species. Other ideas shared were to install bird/perch diverters and promote ecosystem safety.
For projects east of the Great Plains, endangered bats pose the biggest challenge to meeting project schedules. Species like the little brown bat—once the most common bat in North America—are experiencing severe population declines from the spread of the highly contagious white-nose syndrome. This means there’s a greater need for specialized strategies and advanced planning in these regions.
Public Outreach
Effectively engaging with the public throughout a project requires continuous communication of the project’s benefits with stakeholders, addressing diverse concerns and managing compressed timelines. Attendees at this roundtable discussed the extensive environmental review process for projects crossing federal lands. Many people commented about the importance of developing a streamlined process to communicate across federal agencies, tailoring outreach approaches in urban areas to balance community interests and regulatory requirements.
Similarly, Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and regulators may have different priorities and requirements, which can lead to conflict. Navigating these differences and building positive and professional relationships is important for clarifying expectations early while keeping the public informed.
On long-term projects, landowners often experience project fatigue from repeated interactions from the outreach team. This can lead to resistance. Maintaining positive relationships and keeping landowners engaged requires consistent and empathetic communication.
Overall, the recurring theme throughout all the roundtable discussions was the importance of engaging the public early and often. Listening to and being flexible with input from the public and stakeholders can help keep options open and facilitate smoother project execution.
Regulatory Uncertainty: Federal, State and Local
Key insights about regulatory changes revealed that ongoing projects are generally proceeding as planned, despite uncertainty. Companies and utilities are focusing efforts at the state and local levels while awaiting clearer direction from federal authorities.
Companies are preparing for various potential policy changes; however, unexpected, rapid changes—such as day-one executive orders—have created significant uncertainty about when or how to proceed with projects and strategies.
Concerns were raised about seasoned federal staff leaving their posts, taking their valuable knowledge with them and leaving newer staff less willing or able to negotiate. Some attendees shared that newer staff seem to adhere more strictly to guidelines, making processes more transparent.
Agency Coordination: Federal vs. State
The importance of close coordination with federal and state agencies was a key topic in the agency coordination conversations. Permit sequencing can vary by state when both federal and state permits are required.
For example, in Nevada, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission requires a Notice to Proceed from a federal lead agency before they’ll issue construction permits under the Utility Environmental Protection Act.
This highlights the importance of understanding and navigating the specific federal and state regulatory requirements and processes to ensure smooth project progression.
Mitigating Construction Impacts
Mitigating construction impacts was another important challenge discussed. To ensure that construction remains on schedule, best practices—such as developing helicopter access to mitigate delays in remote or difficult terrain for materials and personnel—should be considered early in project planning.
Attendees shared their lessons about the importance of early consideration for important design details, such as selecting appropriate substation security measures (e.g., concrete walls or chain link fences). To maintain overall project efficiency, it’s important to consider site-specific requirements or whether to modify structure designs to accommodate threatened and endangered species.
The last big takeaway about construction impact mitigation was to reduce right-of-way footprints where feasible, selecting suitable structure types and circuit placements to optimize functionality. This has improved efficiency and minimized disruptions, ensuring a seamless integration with existing systems.
Key Project Strategies
To summarize, here are the proactive measures that support robust permitting processes throughout the routing and siting phase.
It’s crucial to consider threatened and endangered species within a project area and develop plans early that avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts.
Meaningful public engagement should begin early in the project lifecycle and be maintained consistently and often.
Navigating regulatory uncertainties means focusing on local engagement and preparing adaptable strategies.
Efficient and timely agency coordination is essential, taking into account varying permit sequencing procedures and state-specific requirements.
Construction impacts must responsibly be mitigated by incorporating stakeholder feedback throughout the planning and execution phases of projects.
By incorporating these principles, utilities can successfully balance environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance and community engagement throughout the development of a project.
Article originally published on POWER Engineers, member of WSP.