STATEMENT: NEMA Urges Senate Advancement of Legislation To Drive Energy Dominance, Increase Transmission System Capacity

NEMA Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Spencer Pederson issued the following statement of support for S.3947, the Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act in advance of its consideration today by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy:

"The United States is entering a new era of global competitiveness, driven by the rise of AI data centers, the expansion of advanced domestic manufacturing, and the growing electrification of buildings and transportation. But it is increasingly clear that maintaining - let alone accelerating - this growth hinges on expanding and modernizing our nation's electric power system.

"Safe, reliable, resilient, and affordable energy is necessary for the deployment of economy-driving infrastructure. Yet our aging and increasingly congested electric power transmission system is ill-equipped to meet the moment, delaying the interconnection of both new large loads - like manufacturing facilities - and new generating resources.

"Fortunately, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Energy today have a unique opportunity to tackle this challenge head-on.

"By cutting red tape to accelerate deployment of new transmission infrastructure and encourage adoption of advanced conductors and other grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), the bipartisan Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act - under consideration during this afternoon's legislative hearing - will rapidly expand America's ability to move energy where it's needed most.

"The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) applauds Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) for their bipartisan leadership to drive the deployment of dynamic line ratings, power flow controllers, topology optimization, reconductoring, and other commercially available, domestically produced GETs. And we urge their colleagues to recognize what's at stake: a more capable, more resilient, and more efficient transmission system that powers opportunity for American households and businesses."

###

About NEMA

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents over 300 electrical equipment manufacturers that make safe, reliable, and efficient products and technologies that power, connect, and light our world. Together, our members contribute a full 1% of U.S. GDP and directly provide over 580,000 American jobs, adding more than $330 billion to the U.S. economy. Learn more at makeitelectric.org

Press contact: [email protected]