On September 18, the U.S. House passed multiple bills that are now being sent to the Senate, bringing with them great potential to benefit the energy market. The three pieces of legislation focus on securing and building upon the country's energy excellence, as directed by President Trump's executive order "Unleashing American Energy Dominance."
With the bills now headed to the Senate, energy industry stakeholders, including APCA, will be watching closely to see whether this momentum continues.
See APCA government affairs representative Ben Brubeck's take on these important pieces of legislation below:
House Republicans, on September 18, passed three bills supporting President Trump’s executive orders aimed at “unleashing American energy dominance.”
“Republicans are delivering on our promise to strengthen the grid, create American jobs, and lower energy costs for American families,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “Together with President Trump, Republicans in Congress are helping pave the way for a return to American energy dominance.”
The proposed legislation addresses expediting permits for cross-border energy infrastructure including pipelines, strengthening America’s energy grid, and boosting coal production.
The first bill, H.R. 3062, the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act (sponsored by Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-ND), would streamline the permitting process for cross-border energy infrastructure projects – including oil, natural gas, and electricity – to strengthen American energy security and reduce regulatory delays. Specifically, the bill calls for placing authority for permitting international oil and natural gas pipelines with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), instead of the President or the State Department as under current law. Similarly, the bill also would place authority for permitting international electric transmission lines with the U.S. Department of Energy instead of the President or State Department, as under current law.
The idea behind the bill is to prevent future White House administrations from delaying and canceling projects like the Keystone XL pipeline project, which was denied a permit by both the Obama and Biden administrations.
The second bill, H.R. 1047, the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Deployment (GRID) Power Act (sponsored by Rep. Troy Balderson, R-OH) would expand access to reliable and affordable electricity by allowing grid operators to identify and fast-track power generation projects that will provide dispatchable power and boost grid reliability.
The third bill, H.R. 3015, the National Coal Council Reestablishment Act (sponsored by Rep. Michael Rulli, R- OH) would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to reestablish the council in accordance with the charter that was in effect on November 19, 2021. Established in 1984, the council made recommendations to DOE on matters relating to coal and the coal industry.
These three bills now go to the U.S. Senate for consideration and possible passage into law. APCA’s government affairs team will be monitoring the Senate’s treatment of H.R. 3062 closely.