Rep. Whitesides Introduces Major Bipartisan Bill to Lower Energy Costs, Modernize the Grid, and Reduce Wildfire Risk

The Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act would speed deployment of advanced conductors on existing power line corridors, getting cheaper energy to consumers faster.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA) and Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) introduced the Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act, with Reps. Sean Casten (D-IL) and Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ) joining as original cosponsors. The legislation - supported by industry, environmental groups, labor, and both political parties - reflects how reconducting can serve as a strategy to lower costs, enable connection to new sources of energy, and increase safety from wildfire ignitions.

Built in large part decades ago, the nation's electrical grid was not designed to meet today's soaring energy demands, and our grid's electrical capacity is not sized for the power we need. This legislation would lower costs for consumers by upgrading existing infrastructure using high-capacity electrical power line cables on existing power line corridors. Because building entirely new transmission lines can take 10 to 15 years to plan, permit, and construct, the legislation supports a faster path: installing advanced conductors and co-locating new lines on existing rights-of-way, which can then carry significantly more electricity through established corridors while reducing wildfire risk.

"Families and businesses in my district are tired of paying more for power because our grid can't move electricity where it's needed," said Rep. Whitesides."This is a common-sense, bipartisan fix: instead of waiting over a decade for new transmission lines, we can upgrade the wires we already have and get affordable power flowing faster. I'm proud to lead this effort with Rep. Harrigan to lower costs for consumers, cut wildfire risk, and make our grid more reliable, without the price tag or delay of building from scratch."

"Our electric grid was built decades ago and wasn't designed for the demands we're placing on it today, and I'm proud to team up with Rep. George Whitesides on a fix that actually moves at the speed this problem requires," said Rep. Harrigan. "Instead of waiting ten or fifteen years to build brand new transmission lines, this bill lets us modernize the wires we already have, cutting through red tape so we can double capacity, lower power bills, and reduce wildfire risk, all in a fraction of the time and cost."

"Modernizing our electrical grid is essential to improving our ability to deliver affordable clean energy from where it is produced to where it is needed," said Laura Brannen, U.S. Climate Policy Team Lead, The Nature Conservancy. "Improving transmission in existing corridors, upgrading existing transmission lines and utilizing previously developed lands are quick, cost-effective ways to do so and can lower impacts to communities and nature when done right. The Grid Modernization Act can help make it easier to use these commonsense solutions. The Nature Conservancy thanks the sponsors for their bipartisan leadership on this important issue."

The Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act would:

• Lower energy costs for consumers by cutting the time and expense of grid upgrades, using existing rights-of-way and tax incentives instead of multi-billion-dollar new-build transmission projects, so utilities can pass along savings from access to affordable, distant power.

• Streamline the environmental review process by establishing a fast-track categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for transmission upgrades that remain within existing, previously cleared or permitted rights-of-way, cutting through a process that can otherwise take years.
  
• Speed up grid planning by facilitating the integration of advanced conductor technologies into transmission planning processes, including voluntary transmission modernization studies and public reporting on project outcomes, so utilities and regulators can more easily identify and act on upgrade opportunities.
  
• Reduce wildfire risk by promoting high-performance conductors that experience virtually zero thermal sag under extreme electrical loads, keeping power lines safely away from vegetation below.
  
• Strengthen grid reliability by boosting baseline transmission capacity so the system can absorb severe emergency power spikes without overloading.

The legislation is endorsed by The Nature Conservancy, the Citizens Climate Lobby of California, and ClearPath, among others.

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