> So here’s a wacky idea: What about a national electrical utility? Many utilities are already government-sanctioned monopolies at the city level, so the principle of natural monopolies in the energy space is well-established. And the intermittency of wind and solar means it might make sense to run new long-distance power lines between cities. So why not turn this task over to a national-level government-sanctioned utility monopoly, that would own the long-distance transmission lines and would also be allowed to invest in local generation capacity?<p>Because that wouldn't solve anything.<p>The problems with running long-distance power lines are all to do with negotiating with the property owners along the power line's route, and different states having different processes and criteria.<p>What is needed, if you want to install long distance power transmission quickly, is summary powers of installation that shorten the approvals process (omitting environmental impact assessments, for instance) and that forbid lawsuits or objections or other obstructions of any kind to installation. Property owners get told, "we're installing a power line through your property. Here is independently assessed fair compensation."