The U.S. energy transition has often been slowed not by technology or investment, but by infrastructure that can’t keep pace. Take SunZia, a 550-mile transmission line meant to carry New Mexico wind power to Arizona and California. Proposed in 2006, the project spent 17 years stuck in environmental reviews, route disputes, agency wrangling, and lawsuits before construction began in 2023. During that time, wind farms were built with no way to deliver their power—a stark illustration of what happens when permitting delays tie up the grid.