{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://barr.house.gov/press-releases?ID=FFF79C88-AD0D-418D-A319-C1780AF9ED99", "Reps. Barr and Peters Introduce Bill to Slash Permitting Times, Lower Energy Costs, and Prevent Blackouts", "2025-09-25", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Andy Barr", "B001282", "barr.house.gov", "barr", "https://barr.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 This week, U.S. Representatives Andy Barr (R-KY) and Scott Peters (D-CA) will reintroduce the Streamlining Powerlines Essential to Electric Demand (SPEED) and Reliability Act, a bill to significantly hasten the siting and permitting of critically needed electric transmission lines. Faster approvals will let us build the electrical lines that carry energy from where it is generated to where it is needed sooner. This will lead to lower costs for consumers and prevent blackouts.\n\n\u201cAI data centers and advanced manufacturing are at the core of America\u2019s economic future, but they can\u2019t run without reliable, affordable power. The SPEED and Reliability Act cuts red tape and builds the transmission lines we need to lower costs and ensures we stay ahead of China in the race for AI,\u201d said Rep. Barr.\n\n\u201cWe cannot wait a decade plus for individual transmission lines to be approved if we don\u2019t want to fall behind China and our adversaries,\u201d said Rep. Peters. \u201cThis bill will lower costs for consumers, improve reliability, and help secure America\u2019s energy independence.\u201d\n\nUnder the current National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) program, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are supposed to work together to designate broad corridors for transmission development, with the goal of streamlining siting and permitting for high-impact transmission lines in the national interest.\n\nHowever, the process has yet to result in a single transmission project due to widespread opposition to this corridor-based approach. The SPEED and Reliability Act reforms this program by removing the ability of the Secretary of Energy to designate corridors, centralizes environmental reviews at the bipartisan and independent FERC, and includes additional guardrails to protect customers, benefit local communities, and respect state authority.\n\nThe SPEED and Reliability Act reforms the existing backstop siting authority for interstate electric transmission lines by removing the redundant, top-down role of the DOE. In particular, the SPEED and Reliability Act:\n\nRemoves the Secretary of Energy\u2019s authority to designate broad NIETCs;\n\nAllows FERC to issue a construction permit for individual national interest transmission lines that reduce grid congestion, improve reliability, and provide a clear set of economic and reliability benefits to customers;\n\nIncludes guardrails that protects consumers, benefit local communities, and respects state authorities by:\n\nAllocating costs only to customers that benefit, using a minimum specified list of electric reliability criteria, along with specified economic benefits\n\nPreserves current law by ensuring that states have at least one year to respond to applications before applicants can seek approval from FERC\n\nPrioritizes use of existing rights-of-way and advanced conductors to lower impacts and costs;\n\nMandates that FERC engage with states, tribes, and private property owners throughout the process\n\nBenefits: The bill would improve grid reliability, reduce costs for Americans, and boost economic development and national security.\n\nImproved Reliability: Increasing power flows between regions can help keep the lights on during extreme weather events.\n\nIn 2023, transmission congestion \u2013 the U.S. energy grid\u2019s inability to send power from where it\u2019s abundant to where it\u2019s needed \u2013 cost U.S. ratepayers $11.5 billion.\n\nDuring Winter Storm Uri, customers in the Great Plains and the Gulf Coast each could have saved in excess of $100 million with each additional gigawatt of transmission interconnection.\n\nReduced Costs: Just as an interstate highway can displace the need for disproportionate spending on local roads, high-impact transmission lines can save ratepayers billions of dollars every year by replacing less efficient, smaller projects and connecting customers to the cheapest power sources.\n\nNearly 60 utility companies are set to increase electricity rates this year by more than $38 billion, affecting more than 57 million Americans.\n\nOn average, electricity costs are 5.5% higher today than they were a year ago. Residential rates are also projected for a huge increase: up to 18% in the next few years.\n\nEconomic Development: Power demand is growing as manufacturing returns to the U.S. and key, strategic industries like artificial intelligence and microchip manufacturing continue to boom. More high-impact transmission lines will help support this economic development across the country, especially in rural communities.\n\nSmarter investments in transmission can save residential consumers up to $14 billion per year after accounting for the costs. For every $1 invested in transmission lines, consumers receive between $3.80 to $4.70 in benefits.\n\nFull text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://barr.house.gov/press-releases?ID=FFF79C88-AD0D-418D-A319-C1780AF9ED99"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8694359567016363, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}