By Jack Morrissey
Reliable and affordable energy is what keeps our country running. It fuels businesses, supports families, and gives communities the foundation to grow.
Nowhere is that clearer than in South Carolina, where record population growth and major industrial expansion are pushing electricity demand to unprecedented levels.
Yet many projects that could expand supply and strengthen the grid are stuck waiting on approvals that take years to complete.
These delays stem largely from federal reviews that move far slower than the needs of fast-growing states like South Carolina.
The longer they wait, the higher costs climb for everyone.
The issue is not a lack of investment or ingenuity. South Carolina has become a national magnet for advanced manufacturing, electric vehicle production, aerospace suppliers, and next-generation logistics.
BMW’s continued growth in Spartanburg; Bosch’s battery component expansion; new industrial parks in Greer, Gaffney, and Laurens County; and a wave of suppliers serving Siemens and GE Vernova all depend on a modern, reliable grid.
But the bureaucratic process that governs the infrastructure needed to power these projects, transmission lines, substation upgrades, and grid interconnections moves too slowly and has become overly complex.
Developers often face overlapping reviews, shifting requirements, and legal challenges that can drag on for years.
The 732-mile TransWest Express transmission line from Wyoming to Nevada, for example, took nearly 18 years just to secure permits before breaking ground.
To support BMW expansions, battery component suppliers, and new industrial development corridors along the Interstate 85 spine, Duke Energy needs timely approvals for new substations, high-voltage transmission lines, and large-scale grid upgrades that often take longer to permit than to construct.
When these projects stall, reliability and affordability for families and businesses are put at risk.
When projects take too long to build, communities lose out on affordable power, new jobs, and private investment.
According to the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, as much as $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment nationwide is tied up in the federal permitting process. A meaningful share of that investment is aimed at fast-growing states like South Carolina — if the infrastructure can actually be built.
Permitting reform is about restoring common sense. It means keeping environmental standards strong while making the approval process clear, efficient, and predictable.
The goal is not to cut corners, but to cut confusion.
That can be done by establishing firm timelines so projects can move from proposal to construction without endless waiting; designating a single coordinating agency to avoid duplicative reviews; prioritizing high-impact projects such as Upstate transmission upgrades; and creating a clear judicial review process so infrastructure that meets every requirement is not stuck in court for years.
Streamlining the process would save time and money without weakening safeguards. Federal reforms are especially important because many transmission projects require approvals from
multiple federal agencies before South Carolina utilities can even begin construction.
Today, a routine transmission line needed to power a new industrial supplier in Spartanburg County can take years longer to approve than to build. Substation upgrades serving fast-growing communities around Greer, Powdersville, and the western Upstate must often navigate multilayered reviews that move more slowly than the growth they are intended to support.
With targeted reforms, builders could move forward with confidence, and communities would benefit from lower costs and greater reliability as new energy sources and delivery systems come online sooner.
Permitting reform also strengthens America’s energy independence, and South Carolina’s competitiveness.
Much of the region’s electric grid is operating with equipment deep into the second half of its lifespan, even as demand accelerates. Federal energy analyses show that the United States will need to double the size of its electric grid by mid-century to support artificial intelligence, manufacturing, electric vehicles, and population growth, all trends already reshaping South Carolina.
When infrastructure can be built faster, energy becomes more affordable and more secure. Local industries, from battery manufacturing in the Midlands to aerospace and advanced-materials
suppliers across the Upstate, can expand with confidence.
And new employers deciding where to invest will see a state prepared for continued growth, not constrained by outdated processes.
Modernizing how projects are approved is not a partisan issue. It is a practical step toward a stronger economy and a more resilient energy system. Families deserve affordable electricity and
reliable service, and they deserve a government that helps make that possible.
The time to act is now. Modernizing the federal permitting process will lower costs, strengthen reliability, and keep energy affordable for every family and business in South Carolina.
Cutting red tape is not just good policy. It is essential to keeping our state’s momentum moving forward.
Jack Morrissey is the American Conservation Coalition’s state director for the Carolinas. The conservative environmental organization has 85,000 members nationwide. Morrissey grew up in Fishers Island, New York, an 8-mile island in the Long Island Sound. He lives in Charlotte, N.C.
