Senator Mike Lee, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Committee, have sent a bipartisan letter supporting recent action by the Department of Energy (DOE) that calls for new rules on how large energy loads are connected to the electric grid. The proposal, submitted by Secretary Chris Wright under Section 403 of the Department of Energy Organization Act, directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin rulemaking aimed at improving grid reliability and lowering costs.
The senators' letter comes as electricity demand in the United States has reached its highest point in a decade. At the same time, electricity prices are rising faster than inflation. In their letter, Lee and Heinrich emphasize that affordability should be a top priority and caution that new industrial growth must not lead to higher costs for American families.
“We are excited to work with FERC on the large load interconnection proposal submitted by Secretary Wright,” said Chairman Lee. “Addressing this issue will be key to ensuring American energy dominance as well as enabling advancements in AI and the onshoring of key manufacturing industries. As FERC undertakes this proceeding, I encourage them to keep customer affordability at the forefront of the issue. FERC must also ensure that state authorities in electricity transmission and demand side interconnection are respected.”
“We’re facing an energy affordability crisis right now – we need more energy on our grid to meet our increasing demand and lower costs for working families,” said Ranking Member Heinrich. “FERC considering a rule that aims to improve large-load and new generation interconnections is a step in the right direction. We need to improve transmission planning and ensure that costs are allocated fairly so that households aren’t left covering the increased demand from large new energy users. I look forward to working with Chair Lee on all these issues to ensure that we shore up American made energy and costs come down for consumers.”
Both senators stated they are ready to support FERC’s efforts to enhance grid infrastructure so it can meet current needs as well as future challenges.
