⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

We hear Appalachian Voices versus the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the Fourth Circuit. The dispute concerns expanding the electric grid and deciding who pays. In 2024, the commission adopted Order nineteen-twenty, requiring transmission providers to plan at least twenty years ahead and consult states about allocating costs. The commission says piecemeal planning can leave customers paying too much while failing to meet future grid needs. After two rounds of agency reconsideration, these consolidated petitions challenge the rule from different directions. Some states say it intrudes on their authority over power generation. Public-interest groups want stronger reforms, while consumer groups object to shifting costs from generators to electricity customers. Some transmission owners challenge mandatory state involvement, and competing developers challenge preferential construction rights for existing utilities. FERC will defend its rule as lawful and reasonable. The judges also ask whether the challengers have standing: the required personal stake in each claim, rather than only a disagreement with the rule.

Appalachian Voices v. FERC (No. 24-1650) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued September 15, 2026.