Author: Catherine Hausman

Catherine H. Hausman is a professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research. Her work focuses on environmental and energy economics. Recent projects have looked at inequality and environmental quality, the natural gas sector's role in methane leaks, the impact of climate change on the electricity grid, and the effects of nuclear power plant closures. Her research has appeared in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Prior to her graduate studies, Catherine studied in Peru under a Fulbright grant. She has taught statistics, a policy seminar on energy and the environment, and a course on government regulation of industry and the environment. She holds a BA from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Commentary

Making Sense of the Grid: Long Lines, Local Lines, and the Interconnection Problem
By Catherine Hausman September 10, 2026September 10, 2026

Open up your favorite newspaper, and you’re likely to see a story about electricity. With customers and politicians voicing concerns about data center growth and rising energy bills, it’s hard to avoid talk of the grid. But long before this became a dinner table topic, energy analysts were writing about the need for increased transmission…

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