Trump administration cancels Biden-era effort to speed power line construction in multiple states, Energy Department says

The Trump administration is canceling a Biden-era effort intended to speed up power line construction in several states, according to an announcement from the Department of Energy reported by The Hill on August 13, 2026. The move would end the specific policy mechanism the administration says was designed to streamline transmission development in regions facing constraints on the electric grid.

In the reported account, the DOE action targets parts of Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska and the Dakotas. Those areas are described as part of the broader transmission-building push that the Biden administration pursued during its term to address grid reliability and capacity needs.

The Hill reported that the DOE announcement frames the cancellation as an adjustment to the prior approach. The underlying Biden-era effort, described in the report as a “boost” to power line construction, was aimed at speeding transmission-related work rather than leaving projects to proceed only under existing permitting and development timelines.

While the report does not list all implementation details in the provided excerpt, it indicates the administration is ending the specific effort that had been tied to accelerating power line buildout. The cancellation matters for planning horizons, since transmission projects typically rely on multi-stage coordination among developers, utilities, and state and local permitting authorities.

For states and localities in the affected region, the policy change may alter which projects receive prioritized support and which remain subject primarily to the existing regulatory path for transmission line approvals. Because transmission work can involve long lead times for engineering, environmental review, and construction, the practical effect of canceling a “speed” initiative can show up over subsequent planning cycles, even where utilities and grid operators continue to pursue upgrades.

The report also positions the decision within a broader pattern of administrative changes to energy and infrastructure initiatives between presidential administrations. It underscores that federal energy policy can shape how quickly transmission upgrades move forward, especially when federal programs or processes are designed to supplement or accelerate timelines beyond standard requirements.