Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act

This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to study the potential of using highway and rail rights-of-way for building high-voltage transmission infrastructure. Sec. 2, Purpose: The bill aims to accelerate high-voltage transmission development by identifying opportunities to co-locate projects within existing transportation rights-of-way to alleviate energy capacity constraints and deliver more affordable, reliable electricity. Sec. 3, Study: The Secretary of Energy, consulting with the Secretary of Transportation, FERC, and relevant National Laboratories, must conduct a study evaluating benefits and challenges of using covered rights-of-way (highway and rail rights-of-way, including abandoned railroads) for high-voltage transmission. The study includes reviewing existing projects, determining best practices, generating data on rights-of-way, identifying suitable rights-of-way based on regional transmission needs and technical feasibility, evaluating various transmission configurations, examining unique challenges, determining costs and benefits compared to non-rights-of-way lands, identifying funding mechanisms and financial benefits for stakeholders, analyzing impacts on grid reliability and energy costs, and evaluating environmental and operational effects. The Secretary must publish results as each element is completed and submit a report to Congress within 3 years, with all data published on a public DOE website, subject to national security redactions.