This bill amends section 215 of the Federal Power Act to add new steps for checking whether federal regulations could hurt the ability of the bulk-power system to supply enough electric energy. It requires the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to publish an annual long-term assessment of generation adequacy, including analyses of resource mix, transmission, demand trends, and risks of supply shortfalls. If the ERO finds a risk of not having enough generation, it must tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC must then notify the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal agencies as appropriate. Agencies that receive that notice must submit any proposed or in-development regulations that directly affect generation resources to FERC for review and comment. FERC, after consulting with the ERO and transmission organizations, will give written comments and may recommend changes to avoid significant negative impacts on the bulk-power system. An agency may not finalize a submitted regulation until it replies in writing to FERC about how it addressed FERC's comments and until FERC determines the regulation is not likely to have a significant negative impact. The bill also requires that those comments and agency responses be made publicly available when the regulation is published.
No publicly available information on costs or budgetary effects is included in the bill text or provided metadata.
The bill adds a formal process for the ERO and FERC to identify generation inadequacy and to review proposed federal rules that could affect generation resources. It directs FERC to provide comments and recommend modifications to prevent significant negative impacts on the bulk-power system, and it requires agencies to respond before finalizing such rules.
No publicly available information on opponents' positions or objections is included in the bill text or provided metadata.