Building America's Future: Lessons from the Interstate Highway System

Energy policy and regulatory attorney Willie Phillips authored a column for T&D World drawing parallels between President Dwight Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System and the need for a modernized electric grid. Mr. Phillips argues that electricity demand is rising sharply as a result of electrification, domestic manufacturing and rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, yet the nation's transmission infrastructure remains built for a bygone era of local generation serving local demand. He calls for long-distance, high-voltage transmission capable of linking regions and strengthening the broader network, emphasizing that, like the interstate system, backbone infrastructure cannot be judged one project at a time. Mr. Phillips highlights the role of cooperative federalism among the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state commissions, regional grid operators and utilities, adding that strategic transmission expansion can lower energy costs by unlocking cheaper power and reducing congestion. He frames the buildout as not just an energy issue but as an economic and national security imperative, warning that the global race to lead in AI will be won by the countries that can deliver abundant, affordable and reliable electricity.

READ: Building America's Future: Lessons from the Interstate Highway System for Modern Electric Grid