{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://casten.house.gov/media/press-releases/casten-introduces-pair-of-bills-to-modernize-electric-grid-data", "Casten Introduces Pair of Bills to Modernize Electric Grid Data", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Sean Casten", "C001117", "casten.house.gov", "casten", "https://casten.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced two complementary bills designed to modernize, standardize, and share the data needed to build a cheaper, faster, more efficient, and more reliable electric grid.\n\nThe first bill, the Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act, introduced by Rep. Casten and Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), gives Americans insights into their utility\u2019s performance by creating the first-ever standardized, independently-verified, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-administered performance scorecards for major transmission utilities and Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators\u2014covering key outcomes for ratepayers, including affordability, reliability, efficiency, equity, emissions, and deployment of new clean, cheap energy.\n\nBy making results public, the legislation ensures accountability, empowers ratepayers and researchers with transparent data, and provides utilities and operators a consistent platform to demonstrate performance and share best practices.\n\nText of the Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act can be found here. A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here.\n\n\u201cThe current lack of standardized data means we cannot properly assess how our nation\u2019s transmission system performs or determine which utility investments are genuinely lowering costs for customers. Without that clarity, we can\u2019t fix what we can\u2019t see,\u201d said Rep. Sean Casten. \u201cBy making this data standardized, public, and reliable, we ensure accountability, empower Americans to advocate for stronger and more efficient utility performance, and provide both utilities and operators with a consistent platform to demonstrate results and share best practices. This is essential to creating a more efficient, reliable electric grid and an important step towards driving down energy costs.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur country urgently needs clearer and more consistent information about investments in the power grid so that we can make progress on keeping prices down while meeting America\u2019s growing energy needs,\u201d said Congressman Kevin Mullin. \u201cI\u2019m proud to co-lead the Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act as it would increase transparency by finally giving the public and regulators long-overdue data needed to better understand how well the transmission system is operating. Americans deserve to have confidence that their power is delivered efficiently and with accountability.\"\n\nThe second bill, the Grid Research and Development Act, introduced by Rep. Casten, modernizes and standardizes the transmission and interconnection data reported to FERC by creating a unified, searchable, machine-readable centralized repository of project-level, system-level, and queue data. The legislation also establishes a National Lab-supported Interconnection Data Dashboard to provide comprehensive real-time visibility into costs, delays, project attrition, and regional trends, critical for efficient grid planning and cost-effective transmission development.\n\nText of the Grid Research and Development Act can be found here. A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here.\n\n\u201cUnder the Trump Administration, Illinoisans have seen their electric bills skyrocket by 15%,\u201d said Rep. Casten. \u201cThe best way to counteract this and drive down prices is to improve our electric grid so we can connect more cheap, clean energy. Our grid is the backbone of our economy and national security, but we cannot enhance it and ensure its continued strength if regulators, researchers, and experts don\u2019t have the insights needed to do so.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Grid Research and Development Act would help address data transparency issues that have blocked stakeholders from understanding the potential benefits of Grid Enhancing Technologies,\u201d said Julia Selker, Executive Director, WATT Coalition. \u201cConsolidation of utility data reporting will help grid users identify where Dynamic Line Ratings, Advanced Power Flow Control, or Topology Optimization might unlock grid capacity quickly and at low cost.\u201d\n\n\u201cBuilding electric transmission lines is crucial to keeping electricity bills in check and making sure the lights stay on -- but not all transmission is created equal,\u201d said Christy Walsh, Director of Federal Energy Markets at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). \u201cThe Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act would help consumers know if companies are maximizing benefits and minimizing costs of new transmission lines. And it provides utilities with the right incentives to make smart decisions for their customers and the country.\u201d\n\n\"Too often, consumer advocates lack access to the information we need to hold utilities and RTOs accountable,\u201d said Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board. \u201cThe Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act and Grid Research and Development Act strengthen transparency and accessibility for advocates like us, so we can evaluate how our electricity providers are performing across a wide range of criteria, from affordability to reliability.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs electricity demand grows, we need a stronger and more efficient grid to meet our power needs,\u201d said Jennifer Layke, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. \u201cRight now, existing grid data is fragmented and inconsistent, which limits our ability to deploy the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to meet this demand. The Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act provides a vital transparency tool to ensure that we can direct critical investments in the transmission system to best serve ratepayers and the public interest.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://casten.house.gov/media/press-releases/casten-introduces-pair-of-bills-to-modernize-electric-grid-data"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8308961987495422, "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"}