,,ii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #abag ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #f1 #bjae ,ms4 ,murkowski introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to establish an ,interagency ,rapid ,response ,team for ,transmission1 to establish an ,office of ,transmission ,ombudsperson1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,electric ,transmission ,infrastructure ,permitting ,improvement ,act4 #b4 ,interagency ,rapid ,response ,team for ,transmission 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established an interagency rapid response team1 to be known as the ,interagency ,rapid ,response ,team for ,transmission 7referred to in this section as the ,team71 to expedite and improve the permitting process for electric transmission infrastructure on ,federal land and non-,federal land4 7b7 ,mission ,the mission of the ,team shall be-- 7#a7 to improve the timeliness and efficiency of electric transmission infrastructure permitting2 and 7#b7 to facilitate the performance of maintenance and upgrades to electric transmission lines on ,federal land and non-,federal land4 7c7 ,membership ,the ,team shall be comprised of representatives of-- 7#a7 the ,federal ,energy ,regulatory ,commission2 7#b7 the ,department of ,energy2 7#c7 the ,department of the ,interior2 7#d7 the ,department of ,defense2 7#e7 the ,department of ,agriculture2 7#f7 the ,council on ,environmental ,quality2 7#g7 the ,department of ,commerce2 7#h7 the ,advisory ,council on ,historic ,preservation2 and 7#i7 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 7d7 ,duties ,the ,team shall-- 7#a7 facilitate coordination and unified environmental documentation among electric transmission infrastructure project applicants1 ,federal agencies1 ,states1 and ,indian tribes involved in the siting and permitting process2 7#b7 establish clear timelines for the review and coordination of electric transmission infrastructure projects by the applicable agencies2 7#c7 ensure that each electric transmission infrastructure project is posted on the ,federal permitting transmission tracking system known as e-,trans1 including information on the status and anticipated completion date of each project2 and 7#d7 regularly notify all participating members of the ,team involved in any specific permit of-- 7,a7 any outstanding agency action that is required with respect to the permit2 and 7,b7 any approval or required comment that has exceeded statutory or agency timelines for completion1 including an identification of any ,federal agency1 department1 or field office that has not met the applicable timeline4 7e7 ,annual reports ,annually1 the ,team shall submit to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives a report that describes the average completion time for specific categories of regionally and nationally significant transmission projects1 based on information obtained from the applicable ,federal agencies4 7f7 ,use of data by ,,omb ,using data provided by the ,team1 the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget shall prioritize inclusion of individual electric transmission infrastructure projects in the permit performance dashboard4 #c4 ,transmission ,ombudsperson 7a7 ,establishment ,to enhance and ensure the reliability of the electric grid1 there is established within the ,federal ,energy ,regulatory ,commission the position of ,transmission ,ombudsperson 7referred to in this section as the ,ombudsperson71 to provide a unified point of contact for-- 7#a7 resolving interagency or intra-agency issues or delays with respect to electric transmission infrastructure permits2 and 7#b7 receiving and resolving complaints from parties with outstanding or in-process applications relating to electric transmission infrastructure4 7b7 ,duties ,the ,ombudsperson shall-- 7#a7 establish a process for-- 7,a7 facilitating the permitting process for performance of maintenance and upgrades to electric transmission lines on ,federal land and non-,federal land1 with a special emphasis on facilitating access for immediate maintenance1 repair1 and vegetation management needs2 7,b7 resolving complaints filed with the ,ombudsperson with respect to in-process electric transmission infrastructure permits2 and 7,c7 issuing recommended resolutions to address the complaints filed with the ,ombudsperson2 and 7#b7 hear1 compile1 and share any complaints filed with ,ombudsperson relating to in-process electric transmission infrastructure permits4 #d4 ,rights-of-way for electric transmission systems ,section #ejg of the ,federal ,land ,policy and ,management ,act of #aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #agfg7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7c7 ,rights-of-,way for electric transmission systems 7#a7 ,in general ,in a case in which a right-of-way has been reserved for the use of any ,federal agency or department for an electric transmission system1 the ,secretary shall not take any of the actions described in paragraph 7#b7 unless the head of the applicable ,federal agency or department proposes to change the use of the right-of-way to support a function other than an electric transmission system4 7#b7 ,covered actions ,an action referred to in paragraph 7#a7 is an action-- 7,a7 requiring a new grant1 permit1 or renewal of the grant or permit relating to the right-of-way2 7,b7 requiring any other authorization or instrument relating to the right-of-way2 or 7,c7 imposing new terms or conditions relating to the right-of-way or the use of the right-of-way1 including any proposed changes to or additions of equipment1 structures1 or other electric transmission system facilities or appurtenances4 4