Load Forecasting Enhancement Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9332 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9332

   To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish
regional joint boards to study electric load forecasting, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2026

 Mr. Balderson (for himself and Mr. Menendez) introduced the following
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish
regional joint boards to study electric load forecasting, 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 ``Load Forecasting Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. REGIONAL JOINT BOARDS TO STUDY ELECTRIC LOAD FORECASTING.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date
        of enactment of this Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory
        Commission shall establish--
                    (A) regions determined appropriate by the
                Commission for purposes of studying electric load
                forecasting; and
                    (B) a joint board for each such region.
            (2) Regions.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the Commission
        shall ensure that each State is included in a region
        established under such paragraph.
    (b) Membership.--Each joint board established under this section
shall be composed of--
            (1) 1 representative from each State commission in the
        region for which the joint board is established; and
            (2) 1 member of the Commission, who shall serve as chair of
        the joint board.
    (c) Duties.--Each joint board established under this section
shall--
            (1) study issues relevant to identifying best practices for
        electric load forecasting that enhance the reliability and
        affordability of electric service to customers in the region
        for which the joint board is established, including, with
        respect to the region for which the joint board is
        established--
                    (A) the effects of electric load forecasting on the
                affordability of electric service;
                    (B) the reliability and resilience of electric
                service;
                    (C) the methods used for collecting and modeling
                data relating to electric load forecasting;
                    (D) the transparency of the data and methodologies
                used to forecast electric loads and the accuracy of
                such forecasts;
                    (E) stakeholder engagement relating to electric
                load forecasting;
                    (F) economic development projections that may
                affect the electric load;
                    (G) the best available technologies, methodologies,
                and procedures for forecasting electric loads; and
                    (H) an evaluation of requests for electric service
                by industrial or commercial facilities with large
                loads, including whether such facilities have made
                financial commitments to an electric utility;
            (2) identify such best practices; and
            (3) report on such best practices to the Commission.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall publish and submit to
Congress a report that includes--
            (1) the best practices reported under subsection (c); and
            (2) recommendations for the consistent use across States of
        any such best practices by electric utilities.
    (e) Termination.--Each joint board established under this section
shall terminate on the day after the date on which the Commission
submits the report under subsection (d).
    (f) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``electric utility'',
``State'', and ``State commission'' have the meanings given such terms,
respectively, in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796).

SEC. 3. PURPA STANDARD ON ELECTRIC LOAD FORECASTING.

    (a) In General.--Section 111 of the Public Utility Regulatory
Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2621) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(22) Electric load forecasting.--The procedures used to
        forecast electric loads shall incorporate the recommendations
        published in the report of the Federal Energy Regulatory
        Commission pursuant to the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act.'';
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Consideration and Determination by Nonregulated Electric
Utilities.--The requirement for consideration and determination
referred to in the first sentence of subsection (a) shall not apply to
a nonregulated electric utility with respect to the standard
established by paragraph (22) of subsection (d).''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Obligations to consider and determine.--Section 112 of
        the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C.
        2622) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the
                following:
            ``(9)(A) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
        of this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with
        respect to each electric utility for which the State has
        ratemaking authority) shall commence consideration under
        section 111, or set a hearing date for consideration, with
        respect to the standard established by paragraph (22) of
        section 111(d).
            ``(B) Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
        this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with respect
        to each electric utility for which the State has ratemaking
        authority) shall complete the consideration and make the
        determination under section 111 with respect to the standard
        established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d).'';
                    (B) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) by striking ``subsection (b)(2)'' and
                        inserting ``subsection (b)''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``In the case of the
                        standard established by paragraph (22) of
                        section 111(d), the reference contained in this
                        subsection to the date of enactment of this Act
                        shall be deemed to be a reference to the date
                        of enactment of that paragraph (22).'' after
                        ``paragraph (21).''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Other Prior State Actions.--Subsections (b) and (c) shall not
apply to the standard established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d)
in the case of any electric utility in a State if, before the date of
enactment of this subsection--
            ``(1) the State has implemented for the electric utility
        the standard (or a comparable standard);
            ``(2) the State regulatory authority for the State has
        conducted a proceeding to consider implementation of the
        standard (or a comparable standard) for the electric utility;
        or
            ``(3) the State legislature has voted on the implementation
        of the standard (or a comparable standard) for the electric
        utility during the 3-year period ending on that date of
        enactment.''.
            (2) Prior and pending proceedings.--Section 124 of the
        Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2634)
        is amended by inserting ``In the case of the standard
        established by paragraph (22) of section 111(d), the reference
        contained in this section to the date of enactment of this Act
        shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment of
        paragraph (22).'' after ``paragraph (21).''.

SEC. 4. STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION PLANS.

    Section 362(c) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C.
6322(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(8) procedures and programs to improve the accuracy,
        oversight, and transparency to stakeholders of the forecasting
        of electric loads by electric utilities (as such term is
        defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C.
        796)).''.
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