Reliable Power Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BALDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Vice Chair Weber for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, America's electric grid is facing a reliability crisis, one created by heavyhanded Federal rulemakings that prioritize politics and ignore the realities of power generation and the needs of American families. That is why I rise today in support of my bill, the Reliable Power Act.

Under the Biden administration, Federal agencies pushed out rapid- fire climate rules and mandates with little coordination and even less accountability. Instead of listening to grid operators, they raced to advance extreme policies that threaten our most dependable power sources with the American people paying the price.

The Reliable Power Act puts an end to this by preventing Federal rules from moving forward if they threaten the ability of the grid to keep the lights on. This legislation ensures proper coordination between FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Federal agencies proposing regulations that could affect the power generation and grid reliability.

It strengthens Federal accountability, streamlines communication, and puts in place commonsense guardrails needed to protect the bulk of the power system.

Since introducing this bill in the spring, I have heard from energy leaders across Ohio--energy co-ops, utilities, manufacturers, and grid operators--who all say the same thing: Regulatory chaos driven by climate activists is putting grid reliability at risk and driving up costs.

Just look at this map I have with me today. You can see for yourself how shortsighted policies can drive up electricity costs from one State to the next. When Democratic States sidelined reliable, conventional fuels and mandated rushed transition to renewables, consumers paid more.

I don't know about New York or California, but Ohio cannot afford rolling blackouts, price spikes, or uncertainty about whether our grid can meet future demand.

Earlier this year, the Department of Energy released a reliability report warning that blackouts could increase by 100 percent by 2030.

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Mr. BALDERSON. The Reliable Power Act directly responds to those concerns. First, it requires NERC, the electricity reliability organization, to conduct annual long-term assessments of the bulk power system. If NERC finds the grid is at risk of inadequate generation, it must notify FERC.

FERC must then notify the Department of Energy, the EPA, and other relevant agencies. Once notified, those agencies must send the proposed rules back to FERC for review, comment, and recommendations to prevent severe impacts on grid reliability.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan, commonsense legislation to ensure that no future administration or unelected Federal bureaucrat can unilaterally jeopardize grid reliability.

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