July 22, 2026
Mr. Welch introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
To amend the Federal Power Act to authorize the allocation of the costs of certain interstate electric power transmission lines and electric power transmission lines that are located offshore, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Enhancing Electric Grid Resilience Act
.
Sec. 2. Allocation of costs of certain transmission facilities
Part II of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
224. Allocation of costs of certain transmission facilities
(a) Allocation of costs
(1) In general
Any entity that proposes to own, control, or operate a transmission facility of national significance may file a tariff with the Commission in accordance with section 205 and the regulations of the Commission allocating the costs of such transmission facility of national significance.
(2) Cost causation principle
The Commission shall require that any tariff filed under paragraph (1) allocate the costs of a transmission facility of national significance to customers within the applicable transmission planning region or regions in a manner that is at least roughly commensurate with the estimated anticipated benefits described in paragraph (3).
(3) Cost allocation principle
The Commission shall require that any tariff filed under paragraph (1) allocate costs based on the broad range of reliability, economic, public policy, resilience, environmental, and other reasonably anticipated benefits of the applicable transmission facility of national significance.
(b) Transmission facility of national significance
In this section, the term transmission facility of national significance means—
(1)
an interstate electric power transmission line (and any facilities necessary for the operation of such electric power transmission line) or an electric power transmission line that is located offshore (and any facilities necessary for the operation of such electric power transmission line)—
(A)
that has a transmission capacity of not less than 1,000 megawatts; and
(B)
the construction of which is completed on or after the date of enactment of this section; or
(2)
an expansion of, or upgrade to, an interstate electric power transmission line (and any facilities necessary for the operation of such electric power transmission line) or an electric power transmission line that is located offshore (and any facilities necessary for the operation of such electric power transmission line) that—
(A)
increases the transmission capacity of such electric power transmission line by at least 500 megawatts; and
(B)
is completed on or after the date of enactment of this section.
(c) Savings provision
This section does not affect the authority of the Commission to approve the allocation of costs of transmission facilities other than transmission facilities of national significance.