Certainly makes sense to minimize losses by keeping transmission distances to a minimum. But politically it is unpopular because of the NIMBY syndrome. Trouble is, beyond a certain distance, transmission becomes uneconomical. Too many people have the idea that electricity generated in WA state can be sent down to Key West with no problem. When I worked in the power dispatching center of a local transmission company we only wheeled power on a regional basis. There was just no easy way to access more distant sources, aside from being uneconomical.
Hey, I'll talk to just about anybody (except Bellerophon, who'd probably try to kill me)...