MISO and several stakeholders came to the defense of the RTO’s $21.8 billion, 24-project long-range transmission plan portfolio for the Midwest as five Republican states seek to repeal the projects’ approval.

MISO said its set of 20-year transmission planning futures must be further fine-tuned after the Trump administration’s repeal of tax credits for renewable generation.

The tone of Infocast’s 2025 Midcontinent Energy Summit was noticeably apprehensive compared with last year, owing to political and regulatory uncertainty, load growth ambiguity, fluctuating tariffs and a pending complaint against MISO’s long-range transmission plan.

A new attack on regional transmission planning threatens to unravel a decade of progress toward a more reliable, affordable, and interconnected electric grid, says Ted Thomas.

Members of the Organization of MISO States are divided on whether the organization should register comments in a FERC complaint that could fundamentally change the way MISO can plan its long-view transmission.

MISO asked FERC for a month to prepare a defense of its second long-range transmission portfolio, which is being challenged by five state commissions in the footprint.

Five state public service commissions have banded together to request that FERC order a recasting of MISO’s long-range transmission projects, arguing the projects aren’t as beneficial as MISO has advertised.

Ameren Illinois argued to FERC that it should have dibs on sections of two competitive long-range transmission projects worth almost $2 billion from MISO’s second portfolio, claiming Illinois’ “first in the field” doctrine is tantamount to a right of first refusal law.

FERC sided with MISO IMM David Patton, denying a petition from MISO that would have prevented the RTO from reimbursing the Monitor for reviewing the market impact of transmission planning.