Fedorchak votes for legislation to strengthen reliability and secure America’s energy supply chains

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) today voted in support of two bills that prioritize long-term energy reliability and secure U.S. supply chains to help lower costs. H.R. 3628, the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act,directs states to prioritize reliability and affordability in power generation planning. H.R. 3638, theElectric Supply Chain Act, requires regular, transparent assessments of the supply chains that keep the electric grid running.

"If we want to be serious about reliable and affordable power, we need to identify the vulnerabilities in the system and make sure states are planning for enough dependable, dispatchable generation," Fedorchak said. "These bills put reliability and affordability first and give policymakers the tools to make smarter, more responsible energy decisions."

State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act:

Utilities, co-ops, and municipal power undergo an exhaustive process to plan investments in new generation and transmission facilities to keep the lights on at an affordable price for hardworking households. Recently, many Democrat-led states have manipulated this planning process, using renewable portfolio standards to fulfill an anti-fossil fuel agenda by requiring utilities to prematurely shut down baseload power plants and use intermittent, weather-dependent sources of energy like wind and solar. These policies raise costs, weaken our ability to onshore manufacturing, and ignore the real-world impacts on reliability and affordability.

H.R. 3628 directs state Public Utility Commissions to consider requirements for utilities to have sufficient generation from reliable and dispatchable energy sources, like natural gas, nuclear, coal, and hydropower, over a 10-year period.

Electric Supply Chain Act:

The bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct periodic reviews of vulnerabilities, shortages, or disruptions affecting transformers, transmission equipment, critical minerals, and other components essential to the bulk power system. It also requires DOE to consult closely with utilities, grid operators, manufacturers, and other industry experts and provide Congress with up-to-date, actionable information.

As our grid faces real strain from the premature retirement of dependable baseload power and historic new demand from manufacturing and advanced technologies, this legislation gives policymakers tools and data to protect reliability and keep energy affordable for families, farmers, and businesses.

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