RGC welcomes "Rail and HighWay Transmission Act"

Washington, D.C. (February 6, 2026) Today the Rail-Grid Collaborative welcomes the "Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act," a bill introduced by Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15) directing the Department of Energy (DOE) to identify and analyze opportunities for siting high voltage electric transmission in existing transportation rights-of-way (TROWs). 

“This 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 demand from AI and industrial electrification, and to maintain energy resource diversity. It shines a light on an unwisely neglected approach to develop challenging transmission routes that cross markets, regions and state lines by prioritizing the use of existing rights-of-way,” says Jim Hoecker, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman, speaking on behalf of the Rail-Grid Collaborative. 

Representative Mullin’s bill “is potentially an enormous win-win for all industry participants – it's a win for transmission developers trying to plan and construct large, complex projects with all the uncoordinated permitting that such activity entails; it’s a win for railroads that have considerable linear rights-of-way to lease long-term to enhance their bottom line and improve collaboration with the rapidly-evolving power business,” stated Hoecker. “The DOE study that would be initiated under this legislation will be very revealing in these respects.” 

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The Rail-Grid Collaborative is a nonprofit organization exploring the potential for commercial innovation, environmental sustainability, and public benefit based on the sharing of ideas and information about the future of the rail and power networks.