The US will no longer require presidential approval for cross-border power lines

The US Department of Energy is getting rid of rules that required a special presidential permit for building and operating power lines that cross international borders. This means new cross-border electricity projects will face one less layer of federal review.

For decades, any company wanting to build a power line connecting the US to Canada or Mexico needed a permit signed by the President. This added a layer of political risk and delay to projects that were often already complex. Removing this requirement makes it easier and faster to build new cross-border energy infrastructure, which could help stabilize grids and facilitate energy trade.