Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act

Washington, D.C. - As energy costs increase across the nation, Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15) introduced the Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act to accelerate the development of electric grid infrastructure.

Complex permitting processes, cross-state siting challenges, and constrained rights of way often make expanding the electric grid challenging and expensive. One solution is to make better use of existing infrastructure like highways and railways, which could serve as corridors for new high-voltage transmission lines. Making use of these existing public rights of way could save resources and time, and ultimately improve the reliability and resilience of the grid. As energy demands continue to rise, modernizing the electrical grid is crucial to increase supply, reduce costs, and transition to cleaner and more dependable sources.

"Consumers across America are seeing their utility bills skyrocket and we need to make it easier to expand the grid so electricity can be delivered in an efficient and more sustainable way," Mullin said. "There are tens of thousands of miles of highways and rail lines across the U.S., and by identifying where electrical lines can be safely built along these transportation corridors, my Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act would help modernize America's electrical grid, reduce costs for consumers, and accelerate our transition to cleaner, more reliable energy."

The Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act would direct the Department of Energy to identify opportunities to co-locate transmission infrastructure within existing highway and railway rights of way to expedite grid development with the goal of alleviating energy capacity constraints and delivering more affordable and reliable energy for consumers more quickly.

Specifically, the study would:

• Review existing transmission lines in transportation corridors and determine best practices for planning, financing, and developing such projects;
• Evaluate rights of way that are most suitable for transmission construction and assess cost and time savings as compared to conventional siting;
• Analyze how co-locating transmission lines with highways or railways could enhance grid reliability, reduce congestion, and lower energy costs; and
• Develop an interagency action plan and guidance for federal, state, local, and private stakeholders.

The bill has been endorsed by Solutionary Rail, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), and the Rail-Grid Collaborative.

"New demands on the grid in the form of data centers are causing the electric bills of working families to skyrocket. And aging infrastructure is igniting wildfires that are costing lives and destroying communities," said Bill Moyer, Executive Director of Solutionary Rail. "Congressman Mullin's Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act of 2026 takes essential next steps toward abundant, affordable electricity for a resilient and thriving future. In a time dominated by the politics of polarization and division, finding common cause for common sense solutions to deliver resilience, prosperity, and abundance for our nation could not be more important."

"Congressman Mullin's bill is a timely response to the growing pressure to expand and upgrade the nation's grid, to keep electric service affordable and reliable, to responsibly meet surging power demands from AI and industrial electrification, to maintain energy resource diversity, and to minimize undue disturbances to land and communities. It shines a light on an oft-ignored way to accelerate development of even the most challenging transmission lines across markets, regions and state lines by prioritizing the use of existing rights-of-way," said James Hoecker, Founder and Counsel of the Rail-Grid Collaborative.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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