Advanced Transmission Technology to Reduce Rates Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9335 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9335

  To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a clearinghouse for
       advanced transmission technology, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2026

Mr. Goldman of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred
                to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a clearinghouse for
       advanced transmission technology, 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 ``Advanced Transmission Technology to
Reduce Rates Act''.

SEC. 2. ADVANCED TRANSMISSION TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Clearinghouse; Technical Assistance.--Section 1223 of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16422) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
    ``(c) Clearinghouse; Technical Assistance.--
            ``(1) Clearinghouse for advanced transmission technology.--
        Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
        subsection, the Secretary shall establish and maintain a
        publicly available clearinghouse that includes--
                    ``(A) a list of projects, and activities, carried
                out or funded by the Department relating to advanced
                transmission technology;
                    ``(B) a list of authorities relating to financial
                assistance available for the deployment of advanced
                transmission technology;
                    ``(C) analyses of the effects of deploying advanced
                transmission technology on the efficient transmission
                of electricity, including analyses of any--
                            ``(i) expanded transmission capacity;
                            ``(ii) reduction of transmission
                        congestion;
                            ``(iii) optimized use of transmission
                        infrastructure;
                            ``(iv) improvement to the visibility of the
                        electric grid and automation of key processes
                        relating to the transmission of electricity;
                        and
                            ``(v) such effects due to the projects and
                        activities described in subparagraph (A);
                    ``(D) analyses of any costs and benefits accrued to
                electric utilities and ratepayers due to the deployment
                of advanced transmission technology; and
                    ``(E) analyses of how geography or weather affect
                the cost-effective deployment and utilization of
                advanced transmission technologies.
            ``(2) Technical assistance.--
                    ``(A) Electric utilities.--Upon the request of an
                electric utility, the Secretary may provide technical
                assistance to the electric utility for the purpose of
                using the clearinghouse established under paragraph (1)
                and accessing financial assistance identified under
                subparagraph (B) of such paragraph.
                    ``(B) Transmission organizations.--Upon the request
                of a transmission organization, the Secretary may
                provide technical assistance to the transmission
                organization for the purpose of including advanced
                transmission technologies in the transmission planning
                practices of the transmission organization.
                    ``(C) State regulatory authorities.--Upon the
                request of a State regulatory authority, the Secretary
                may provide technical assistance to the State
                regulatory authority for the purpose of developing a
                regulatory framework for advanced transmission
                technologies in the applicable State and carrying out a
                cost-benefit analysis of the deployment and utilization
                of advanced transmission technologies in the applicable
                State.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Electric utility.--The term `electric
                utility' has the meaning given such term in section 3
                of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796).
                    ``(B) Transmission organization.--The term
                `transmission organization' has the meaning given such
                term in section 215(a) of the Federal Power Act (16
                U.S.C. 824o(a)).
                    ``(C) State regulatory authority.--The term `State
                regulatory authority' has the meaning given such term
                in section 3 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies
                Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602).
            ``(4) Savings.--Nothing in this subsection provides
        authority for the Secretary or the Federal Energy Regulatory
        Commission to require an electric utility to use any advanced
        transmission technology.''.
    (b) State Energy Conservation Plans.--Section 362(d) of the Energy
Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6322(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (17), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (18), by striking the period at the end
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(19) programs to facilitate the deployment of advanced
        transmission technology (as such term is defined in section
        1223 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16422)).''.
    (c) Exemption of Actions Relating to Advanced Transmission
Technology From NEPA.--
            (1) Exemption.--A covered action may not be considered a
        major Federal action under section 102(2)(C) of the National
        Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
            (2) Covered action defined.--In this section, the term
        ``covered action'' means the provision of funding by the
        Secretary, including a loan or a grant, for the deployment of
        advanced transmission technology (as such term is defined in
        section 1223(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C.
        16422(a))).

SEC. 3. BEST PRACTICES FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall establish, within the Office
of Electricity and in consultation with electric utilities, the
electric reliability organization, and transmission organizations, best
practices that electric utilities may use to reduce the risk of
wildfire ignition from the bulk-power system.
    (b) Required Inclusions.--The best practices established pursuant
to subsection (a) shall include practices for--
            (1) vegetation management and removal of forest-hazardous
        fuels along transmission lines;
            (2) improved engineering approaches to reduce the risk of
        wildfire ignition from the bulk-power system; and
            (3) safer operational practices to reduce the risk of
        wildfire ignition from the bulk-power system.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Bulk-power system.--The term ``bulk-power system'' has
        the meaning given such term in section 215(a) of the Federal
        Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824o(a)).
            (2) Electric reliability organization.--The term ``electric
        reliability organization'' has the meaning given such term in
        section 215(a) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824o(a)).
            (3) Electric utility.--The term ``electric utility'' has
        the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Federal Power
        Act (16 U.S.C. 796).
            (4) Transmission organization.--The term ``transmission
        organization'' has the meaning given such term in section
        215(a) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824o(a)).
    (d) Savings.--Nothing in this section provides authority for the
Secretary or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require an
electric utility to use any best practice established pursuant to
subsection (a).
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