Electric Supply Chain Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MIN. Mr. Chair, I rise as the designee of Ms. Houlahan, and I have an amendment at the desk.

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Mr. MIN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of this straightforward amendment to the Electric Supply Chain Act, an amendment that strengthens our workforce, supports veterans, and helps ensure the reliability and security of our Nation's energy supply.

As a Representative of California, I know how essential it is that we shore up the workforce powering our electric supply chain. Manufacturers in California and across the country consistently tell us the same thing: Workforce shortages are slowing down projects, driving up costs, and ultimately are a major contributor to higher prices for working families.

The data is clear: Nearly 10,000 electricians retire each year, while only about 7,000 new entrants come in each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Goldman Sachs has estimated the United States will need roughly 510,000 new workers just to meet rising power demand over the next decade. Annually, we have more than 200,000 servicemembers who transition out of the military, many with exactly the same technical skills, discipline, and mission-focused mindset that our energy system needs and that employers are looking for.

This amendment would simply direct the Department of Energy to regularly assess how to expand veteran, servicemember, and military spouse participation in this workforce, what barriers are preventing entry into these fields, and where improved Federal coordination can better coordinate this talent to areas of real need.

Strengthening supply chains means strengthening the people behind them. Few are better prepared for these careers than our veterans and military families, and this is an important transition for them, as well.

This is a practical improvement to the underlying bill, which promotes national security, energy resilience, and economic opportunity for those who have served.

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Mr. MIN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. MIN. Mr. Chair, my amendment to the Electric Supply Chain Act would expand the periodic reports required under this bill to include a critical assessment of advanced transmission technologies.

In my district and across the country, families are seeing soaring energy costs brought on by load growth and extreme weather, including wildfires. An aging and inefficient grid is bottlenecking the growing demand for new and reliable power, causing prices to go up and limiting the electrons that can reach areas that need this electricity.

We must meet this challenge, grow our economy, and bring down the energy bills that are rising so quickly and crushing so many of our constituents today. To do that, we need to build more transmission infrastructure.

We also need to leverage innovation that we have to maximize our current electric transmission rights-of-way. Advanced transmission technologies like high-performance conductors present a unique opportunity to upgrade the electric grid we already have and ensure that new infrastructure is more efficient and affordable.

According to the Department of Energy, using advanced conductors can double the capacity of existing transmission lines, and over 100,000 miles of lines can currently benefit from these technologies.

Importantly, these technologies have minimal land use impacts, can be installed without the decades-long permitting timelines required for new lines, and increase the resiliency of the grid against wildfires helping keep districts like mine safe from the growing threats of these natural disasters that are often under severe fire risk.

It is why major utilities in California are building their lines with advanced conductors and why States across the country are passing new laws to promote their adoption.

I am proud to actually represent two of the largest manufacturers of advanced transmission conductors in my district: CTC Global and TS Conductor. These companies are extraordinary examples of American innovation and manufacturing which is helping pioneer the grid of the future and create high-skilled domestic jobs in the process.

Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. MIN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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