High-Capacity Grid Act

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, the High-Capacity Grid Act.

America's electricity demand is growing at a pace faster than it ever has. Domestic manufacturing, large load growth, electrification, and investments in aging infrastructure are placing unprecedented demands on our grid, and it is contributing to rising utility bills for American families.

When people think about their electric bills, they often focus on the cost of generating power. However, transmission costs, the wires that carry the power, are one of the fastest growing components of those bills.

According to research from the Brattle Group and the Energy Information Administration, transmission costs have increased by more than 180 percent since 2005 while generation costs have declined.

Meanwhile, permitting and constructing new transmission lines can take years. On average, it would take more than 4 years just to permit a new power line, and sometimes over a decade, before a single shovel hits the ground. Of course Congress must continue working to reform our broken permitting system.

However, even with those reforms, we cannot permit and build our way out of this challenge fast enough. We must make the most out of the existing infrastructure we have already built. That is exactly what the High-Capacity Grid Act will help us do.

First, it requires utilities building or rebuilding interstate transmission lines to use the best available conductors when practical.

Second, it encourages advanced conductors that carry significantly more electricity using existing structures and rights-of-way.

Third, it protects ratepayers by requiring utilities to justify using lower performing conductors before passing those costs onto families.

This is a commonsense approach. That is why this bill earned unanimous support from the Energy and Commerce Committee. Advanced conductors can dramatically increase the amount of electricity delivered over existing lines. It can also improve efficiency, safety, and reliability. In many cases, these technologies can double transmission capacity without requiring new rights-of-way or years of additional permitting. That is good for grid reliability. It is good for affordability, and it is good for hardworking families who ultimately pay the bill.

That is a no-brainer. The High-Capacity Grid Act is about squeezing every possible megawatt out of the infrastructure we already have, and it is about delivering more power at the lowest possible cost.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Latta for their leadership and for helping advance this legislation to the House floor.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, the High-Capacity Grid Act.

America's electricity demand is growing at a pace faster than it ever has. Domestic manufacturing, large load growth, electrification, and investments in aging infrastructure are placing unprecedented demands on our grid, and it is contributing to rising utility bills for American families.

When people think about their electric bills, they often focus on the cost of generating power. However, transmission costs, the wires that carry the power, are one of the fastest growing components of those bills.

According to research from the Brattle Group and the Energy Information Administration, transmission costs have increased by more than 180 percent since 2005 while generation costs have declined.

Meanwhile, permitting and constructing new transmission lines can take years. On average, it would take more than 4 years just to permit a new power line, and sometimes over a decade, before a single shovel hits the ground. Of course Congress must continue working to reform our broken permitting system.

However, even with those reforms, we cannot permit and build our way out of this challenge fast enough. We must make the most out of the existing infrastructure we have already built. That is exactly what the High-Capacity Grid Act will help us do.

First, it requires utilities building or rebuilding interstate transmission lines to use the best available conductors when practical.

Second, it encourages advanced conductors that carry significantly more electricity using existing structures and rights-of-way.

Third, it protects ratepayers by requiring utilities to justify using lower performing conductors before passing those costs onto families.

This is a commonsense approach. That is why this bill earned unanimous support from the Energy and Commerce Committee. Advanced conductors can dramatically increase the amount of electricity delivered over existing lines. It can also improve efficiency, safety, and reliability. In many cases, these technologies can double transmission capacity without requiring new rights-of-way or years of additional permitting. That is good for grid reliability. It is good for affordability, and it is good for hardworking families who ultimately pay the bill.

That is a no-brainer. The High-Capacity Grid Act is about squeezing every possible megawatt out of the infrastructure we already have, and it is about delivering more power at the lowest possible cost.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Latta for their leadership and for helping advance this legislation to the House floor.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Democrats have argued for years that growing our power grid is crucial. A grid that is too small, too dumb, and too rigid only serves to make power unreliable and increase American families' power bills. A grid that is larger, smarter, and more flexible is what we need, especially if we hope to withstand a wave of data-center-driven demand for power.

While it is critical that we give grid operators new tools to build new power lines, the cheapest and quickest way to expand our grid is to get more of what we currently have. For decades, utilities have largely used the same conductors and power lines, but it doesn't have to be that way. New advanced conductors can often carry much more power through the same transmission line than traditional conductors.

H.R. 6633, the High-Capacity Grid Act would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, to issue a rule requiring utilities to use the best available class of transmission conductors.

I want to note two important things. First, the bill focuses on the best-available class of conductors, not a single technology. The goal here is not to favor a single company or a single technology, but to give FERC and the Department of Energy the flexibility to designate what constitutes the best-available class of conductors.

Second, the bill relies on FERC to maintain a balance, to ensure that utilities have the ability to use other conductors when they really need to, and to ensure that the exceptions do not become the rule.

This bill is only a small part of a much larger conversation we need to have about how to expand our power grid. Unfortunately, Republicans and the Trump administration have been reluctant to engage in serious conversations on what we can do to build a grid for the 21st century. I think that is a shame, and there should be more transmission bills on the floor along with this one today.

We should be considering Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Castor's bill to speed up the process that generators use to connect to the power grid. This bill certainly won't solve the problem by itself, but it does represent an important first step.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I just encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Democrats have argued for years that growing our power grid is crucial. A grid that is too small, too dumb, and too rigid only serves to make power unreliable and increase American families' power bills. A grid that is larger, smarter, and more flexible is what we need, especially if we hope to withstand a wave of data-center-driven demand for power.

While it is critical that we give grid operators new tools to build new power lines, the cheapest and quickest way to expand our grid is to get more of what we currently have. For decades, utilities have largely used the same conductors and power lines, but it doesn't have to be that way. New advanced conductors can often carry much more power through the same transmission line than traditional conductors.

H.R. 6633, the High-Capacity Grid Act would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, to issue a rule requiring utilities to use the best available class of transmission conductors.

I want to note two important things. First, the bill focuses on the best-available class of conductors, not a single technology. The goal here is not to favor a single company or a single technology, but to give FERC and the Department of Energy the flexibility to designate what constitutes the best-available class of conductors.

Second, the bill relies on FERC to maintain a balance, to ensure that utilities have the ability to use other conductors when they really need to, and to ensure that the exceptions do not become the rule.

This bill is only a small part of a much larger conversation we need to have about how to expand our power grid. Unfortunately, Republicans and the Trump administration have been reluctant to engage in serious conversations on what we can do to build a grid for the 21st century. I think that is a shame, and there should be more transmission bills on the floor along with this one today.

We should be considering Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Castor's bill to speed up the process that generators use to connect to the power grid. This bill certainly won't solve the problem by itself, but it does represent an important first step.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I just encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6633) to establish a best-available transmission conductor standard for certain transmission projects under the Federal Power Act and to provide for presumptions regarding cost recovery for such conductors, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 6633.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6633, the High-Capacity Grid Act sponsored by my colleague, Congresswoman Fedorchak, from North Dakota.

The High-Capacity Grid Act will leverage advancements in transmission conductors to more cost-effectively expand our grid and meet the electricity demands of our next generation.

Advanced conductors can significantly increase the number of electrons that we put on our system to power our households and businesses of all kinds.

H.R. 6633 will bring savings to households on their electric bills while more efficiently meeting the demands of our next-generation economy ensuring the U.S. is a global leader in innovation.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nebraska (Mrs. Fedorchak), who is a sponsor of the legislation and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate all the hard work. I appreciate Congresswoman Fedorchak's hard work, working on both sides of the aisle. I encourage a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.