Dear Friends,

Solutionary Rail has long advocated for co-locating electric transmission on railroad rights of way in order to build a national super-grid. Our 2016 book and subsequent work has consistently pointed out that the failed reliance on private initiatives to create new, contiguous transmission corridors is folly. Maps of US wind and solar resources demonstrate the potential for abundant, affordable electricity and opportunities for rural communities, electric utilities, and tribes (not to mention railroads, industry, and the public) to benefit from use of existing rights of way.

Over the years, Solutionary Rail has advocated for federal action to describe not just the need for transmission, but also the value of such investments and the cost of failing to to so. In fall of 2024, a study from the Department of Energy's Grid Development Office did just that. It analyzed the potential savings the US could capture if transmission investments are made. That study compared three technologies:

1. Conventional high voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission, i.e. “AC” in the bar chart,
2. High voltage direct current (HVDC), currently used for efficient point to point transmission, i.e. “P2P” in the bar chart, and
3. Multi-terminal HVDC, i.e. "MT" in the bar chart, utilizing advanced multi-terminal converters, which results in the greatest potential benefits to consumers across the transmission options.

Here is a statement by the congressman, taken from his press release:

Consumers across America are seeing their utility bills skyrocket and we need to make it easier to expand the grid so electricity can be delivered in an efficient and more sustainable way. There are tens of thousands of miles of highways and rail lines across the U.S., and by identifying where electrical lines can be safely built along these transportation corridors, my Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Actwould help modernize America’s electrical grid, reduce costs for consumers, and accelerate our transition to cleaner, more reliable energy.”
~ Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15)

Solutionary Rail is proud to have been involved in the creation of this bill. Its introduction in the U.S. House of Representatives marks a major milestone. Please share this great news and urge your member of Congress to cosponsor the Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act.

Here is Solutionary Rail’s endorsement, sent to Congressman Mullin’s office on February 4, 2026:

Solutionary Rail endorses the Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act of 2026

For decades the challenge of establishing new, contiguous transmission corridors has impeded our country from modernizing and connecting our electric grids, stifled investment in power generation, and robbed us of the resilience, safety, and affordability our communities and businesses need to thrive. 

Today, an estimated 2.4 terawatts of proposed generation and storage—nearly twice existing US generation—sits stranded in interconnection queues for lack of transmission. Meanwhile, the US is rapidly falling behind the rest of the world in the electrification of its transportation and energy infrastructure. New demands on the grid in the form of data centers are causing the electric bills of working families to skyrocket. And aging infrastructure is igniting wildfires that are costing lives and destroying communities. All the while, a collective failure of imagination and political will has blinded us from seeing the solution hiding in plain sight. 

That solution is co-locating transmission along existing, contiguous rail and highway rights-of-way. These corridors already serve as the circulatory system for our economy. It is long past time to harness them as the electron superhighways of the future. 

The Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act of 2026 takes essential next steps toward abundant, affordable electricity for a resilient and thriving future. The US Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office estimates that accelerated transmission expansion could save the nation $270–$490 billion through 2050. That range spans the three transmission technologies included in this bill: high voltage alternating current (HVAC), high voltage direct current (HVDC), and multi-terminal HVDC utilizing advanced multi-terminal converters, which results in the greatest benefits to consumers across the transmission options.

In a time dominated by the politics of polarization and division, finding common cause for common sense solutions to deliver resilience, prosperity, and abundance for our nation could not be more important. Solutionary Rail urges Congress to set aside differences and step up to the challenge of literally reconnecting and powering our country’s future by passing the Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act of 2026.

With Gratitude & Solidarity,

Bill Moyer
Executive Director, Solutionary Rail
Host of the Reconnect America podcast

Here's what the study in the bill would accomplish:

• Review existing transmission lines in transportation corridors and determine best practices for planning, financing, and developing such projects;
• Evaluate rights of way that are most suitable for transmission construction and assess cost and time savings as compared to conventional siting;
• Analyze how co-locating transmission lines with highways or railways could enhance grid reliability, reduce congestion, and lower energy costs; and
• Develop an interagency action plan and guidance for federal, state, local, and private stakeholders.

Full text of the bill is available here.

For background, I thought it might be useful to provide you with some of the maps and images from our book and slidedeck that demonstrate the potential of co-location of transmission on railroad rights of way. Those are below.

It should be noted that since the publication of our book in 2016, the potential of buried HVDC has been promoted by both the proposed bi-directional SOO Green project and most recently by the nearly complete Champlain Hudson Power Express project in which ~40% of its 339 mile corridor is buried on railroad corridor. This 2021 Volts podcast episode marked a pivot in the technology. Readers may also enjoy the 2024 Volts episode on Solutionary Rail here.

Thank you for your attention to what we believe is an important part of a just and sustainable future for the US. Now, please use this information to urge your Congress member to cosponsor the Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act.

Forward Together!

Bill Moyer

Maps and Images:

2016 NOAA modeling for HVDC transmission map:

Rail passenger map of existing and potential service on existing rail corridor to communicate similar density to NOAA map:

NRECA's rural electric cooperative map:

NREL's solar potential and wind potential maps:

Class 1 railroads overlay on Native American Tribal land map:

Illustrations by J. Craig Thorpe for our 2016 book, Solutionary Rail, A People-Powered Campaign to Electrify America’s Railroads and Open Corridors to a Clean Energy Future. Note that we only included above ground transmission in our 2016 book. Technological advances in multi-terminal HVDC and the proof of the viability of buried transmission since the book have since influenced our evolving vision.