When I think about dealing with climate change, I think of, say, windmills and solar panels. But there are other surprising things we need.

An example: Suppose, because of our great wind and solar, we are producing more energy than Iowa can use, and our storage batteries are full. What do we do with that extra energy? Maybe sell it to Maine if they’ve been having cloudy, non-windy days. And what about when Iowa has days on end of clouds and no wind, and our battery storage is depleted? It’d be great if we could buy energy from Arizona where, perhaps at that time, they have more energy than they are able to use.

But our grid is not designed for that kind of energy distribution. New lines must be built, and the lines we have must be upgraded. Utilities would eventually make money from such investments because of increased market opportunities.

“So build them,” you say. But it would take decades because of permitting regulations, and we don’t have decades!

So, one of the most important things we need from Congress now is permitting reform — changes in our laws to allow quicker improvements in grid infrastructure while still being mindful of environmental and social justice issues — something both parties support.

So let Senators Ernst and Grassley, and Representatives Miller-Meeks, Nunn, Hinsley, and Feenstra know that, along with renewable energy, we need permitting reform so we can actually use that renewable energy!

Peter Rolnick