{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases/fedorchak-presses-fair-cost-allocation-highlights-grid-solutions-energy", "Fedorchak presses for fair cost allocation, highlights grid solutions at Energy Subcommittee hearing", "2026-04-29", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "House", "ND", "Julie Fedorchak", "F000482", "fedorchak.house.gov", "fedorchak", "https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "During her questioning, Fedorchak highlighted two of her bills under consideration\u2014H.R. 6336, the Fair Allocation of Interstate Rates (FAIR) Act, and H.R. 6633, the High-Capacity Grid Act\u2014as solutions to ensure the nation can meet growing electricity demand without unfairly shifting costs onto ratepayers.\n\nImage\n\nFedorchak asked witnesses a simple question: is it fair for Americans to pay for infrastructure upgrades driven by large energy users? Every witness answered, \u201cno.\u201d She then followed up, asking whether large loads\u2014such as data centers\u2014have shown a willingness to pay for the upgrades needed to meet their demand. Every witness agreed that they have. Fedorchak emphasized that new load does not have to mean higher costs, outlining how North Dakota is carefully rates for large users to ensure they cover the costs they create\u2014helping drive down costs for other electricity customers rather than increase them.\n\nFedorchak asked Nelson Peeler, Senior VP of Grid Strategy, Planning and Integration at Duke Energy, how effective rates for large loads customers can lead to decreased costs for retail consumers. He stated, \u201cessentially those large users of energy pay more of the fixed costs of the total system and therefore it reduces costs left for the remaining customer classes such as residential and commercial.\u201d\n\nImage\n\nFedorchak continued by pressing witnesses on whether it is fair for states to shift the costs of their own energy mandates onto ratepayers in other states. Again, the answer was clear: it is not. She underscored that Americans should not be burdened with costs from policies or infrastructure they did not choose or do not benefit from\u2014reinforcing the need for a more transparent and equitable approach to cost allocation.\n\nThese principles are central to Fedorchak\u2019s legislation. Her Fair Allocation of Interstate Rates Act ensures that states are responsible for the costs of their own energy decisions, preventing those costs from being exported to families and businesses in other parts of the country. As outlined by the above chart, transmission costs are far outpacing generation costs.\n\nFedorchak then spoke on her High-Capacity Grid Act, which requires the use of best-available transmission conductors for new interstate transmission lines and rebuilds. The legislation will help increase capacity and efficiency without the high costs and lengthy permitting timelines associated with building entirely new infrastructure.\n\nQuestioning Arizona Corporation Commission Chairman Nick Myers, Fedorchak asked about the cost and permitting differences between full transmission rebuilds and reconductoring existing lines. Myers stated, \u201cthe permitting is a big advantage. Reconductoring with existing infrastructure means a lot less hurdles to jump through, and that means timelier infrastructure buildout, that means lower costs for the ratepayers because you\u2019re not going through all of the NEPA studiespotentially. That\u2019s one of the big benefits.\u201d", 1, "2026-05-22T06:27:39Z", "2026-05-22T06:29:18Z"]], "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://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases/fedorchak-presses-fair-cost-allocation-highlights-grid-solutions-energy"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1437769755721092, "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"}