The Obama administration wants to speed up permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines in 12 states, as it moves to create jobs and modernize the nation's power grid.

The projects are intended to serve as pilot demonstrations of streamlined federal permitting and improved cooperation among federal, state and tribal governments. The lines will provide electricity in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The projects are expected to create thousands of jobs, help avoid blackouts, restore power more quickly when outages occur and reduce the need for new power plants.

"To compete in the global economy, we need a modern electricity grid," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "An upgraded electricity grid will give consumers choices while promoting energy savings, increasing energy efficiency and fostering the growth of renewable energy resources."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the seven power lines being expedited under the pilot program will serve as important links across the country to increase the capacity and reliability of the nation's power grid.

"This is the kind of critical infrastructure we should be working together to advance in order to create jobs and move our nation toward energy independence," he said.

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