Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, addressed the House floor to support two bills focused on the reliability and affordability of the U.S. electric grid: H.R. 3628, the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act, and H.R. 3638, the Electric Supply Chain Act.
Discussing H.R. 3628, Guthrie stated: “Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3628 the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act, sponsored by my colleague Congressman Evans from Colorado.
“H.R. 3628 directs state public utility commissions to consider implementing measures that would ensure utilities retain sufficient reliable generation through their integrated resource plans to maintain the stability and affordability of their electric grids.
“Over 35 states utilize integrated resource plans to ensure their utilities are appropriately planning their investments in the electric grid.
“The U.S. grid, commonly referred to as the greatest machine on earth, is a complex system comprised of myriad components and infrastructure to deliver electricity that powers our economy and enables modern life for households.
“To ensure the timely delivery of electricity at all times of the day, utilities have historically undergone extensive planning processes to methodically deploy ratepayer dollars to build requisite infrastructure.
“Unfortunately, in recent years we’ve seen states move away from an integrated resource planning process centered on reliability and affordability towards one intended to achieve climate and environmental justice goals.
“The central focus of utility planning must be focused on the end use ratepayers – keeping the lights on for households at an affordable price.
“Unfortunately, the states that have taken the most aggressive stance on climate goals are the same states with the highest electricity rates in the country.
"The legislation ensures that baseload and dispatchable resources such as natural gas, hydropower, coal, and nuclear, are sufficiently considered as part of any 10-year plan.
“There is a role for a diverse energy mix that includes renewables and storage, but we know that not all electrons are the same.
“This is the exact message the Energy and Commerce Committee has heard in hearings with grid operators, utilities, engineers, and those charged with protecting the reliability of our grid.
“In fact, just last month the head of NERC called the current reliability crisis a “five alarm fire.”
“The State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act prioritizes the resources we need most and will encourage states to take more responsibility over their systems.
“I urge my colleagues to support the legislation and reserve the balance of my time.”
On H.R. 3638 Guthrie said: “Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3638 the Electric Supply Chain Act, sponsored by my colleague Congressman Latta from Ohio.
“This legislation directs the Department of Energy to conduct ongoing assessments and report to Congress on the components and infrastructure supply chain needed to secure the reliability and affordability of our bulk power system.
“It is no secret that we find ourselves in the middle of an electric reliability crisis that is threatening the integrity of our bulk power system and an affordability crisis that burdens households with higher energy bills.
“Unfortunately, four years of the Biden-Harris Administration and excessive litigation, permitting delays, and far-left regulatory decisions to attack baseload power sources in favor of expensive and unreliable wind and solar have handicapped the ability of our bulk power system to respond to growing demands for energy.
“Historic projections of increasing electricity demands from domestic manufacturing, onshoring, and AI data centers have exposed systemic challenges facing our electric sector and supply chain for components needed to power it.
“Meanwhile, our overreliance on China for manufacturing critical minerals has created dependence on a strategic adversary for these supply chain needs.
“Our electric grid is an essential tool for national economic security.
“Simply put, we need to work with [the] Trump Administration to make it easier to build in our country so free market investment can flow into communities across America driving economic growth [and] creating good paying jobs for households.
“That is why [the] Electric Supply Chain Act will ensure our federal government remains proactive assessing challenges within this supply chain for grid components.”
Guthrie concluded by urging his colleagues’ support for both pieces of legislation.
