Power Grid Project Costs Worry Swing-Vote Energy Commissioner

As energy bills in the US rise, a key energy official is pumping the brakes on the push from industry and policymakers to accelerate power grid expansion, flexing his muscle as a swing vote on an evenly divided commission.

Mark Christie, a Republican on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and former longtime state utility regulator, wants to roll back some incentives to build transmission lines, a move he says will protect customers who will foot the bill that could reach $2.4 trillion by 2050.

“All of that is going to get fed through to ...