Yeah, I think you're right that transmission on existing rail/highway ROW is getting less attention. There are some projects like SOO Green, but they seem to be moving slowly... Not sure if that's just the usual cost issues or what. Maybe because they seem to often need to be underground?

We may decide that factory farming is better for the climate than small farms because of land use efficiency, and tolerate its costs/risks, or attempt to minimize/manage them through policy, as the piece concludes. But there is no free lunch-- those policies themselves tend to reduce efficiency.

This frustrates me because what I take as the main point is indeed important. We should reduce meat demand, but so long as demand exists, we must honestly debate trade-offs between efficiency (less land use), pollution reduction, animal welfare, zoonotic illness potential, cost, etc.

I doubt the author believes this, exactly, but the story about the feedlot creates this impression-- better treatment is efficient! But animals are mistreated in factory farms all the time. Are other farmers just ignorant sadists? This seems doubtful, though I'm sure marginal improvements exist.

There's an April 2024 report from GridLab and Energy Innovation that discusses reconductoring barriers, and some potential solutions. Some barriers seem almost cultural-- it's not what utilities are used to doing so they don't have good processes in place. www.2035report.com/wp-content/u...

As someone who has done some work in this sector, I also think the farmer's "of course I treat my animals well, it's more efficient!" is, let's say, an outlier position. I doubt better welfare usually increases overall efficiency, unfortunately, though there may be some gains to be had there

I've always thought the Florida Trail (or parts of it) would be a great winter hike, though I've never done it! Echoing the people suggesting southern AT also, by early March it should be fine even w/o winter gear