House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie is pushing a sweeping legislative package that would streamline approvals for pipelines, power plants, and transmission lines, a move Republicans say is overdue as electricity demand surges and red tape stalls new projects. Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced the Permitting Our Way to an Energy Resurgence Act, […] The post House Republicans unveil 96-page energy permitting overhaul to cut costs and speed construction appeared first on American Almanac .
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie is pushing a sweeping legislative package that would streamline approvals for pipelines, power plants, and transmission lines, a move Republicans say is overdue as electricity demand surges and red tape stalls new projects. Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced the Permitting Our Way to an Energy Resurgence Act, dubbed the POWER Act, as a discussion draft on Wednesday. The 96-page bill bundles nearly 20 GOP proposals into a single package aimed at overhauling the federal permitting process, strengthening grid reliability, and shielding ratepayers from rising electricity costs driven by data center construction. The bill lands with fewer than two dozen legislative days left…Open
PHOENIX — This desert region has become a bellwether for the nation's data center growth as the tech sector grapples with rising temperatures and scarce resources. Why it matters: Arizona is an extreme microcosm of the challenges the AI boom is running into across the country, as tech companies race to build data centers demanding massive amounts of power and testing local water supplies. "What took our utilities 100+ years to build, we need to double that within the next four to five years to keep up with demand," said Kevin Thompson, who serves on the Arizona Corporation Commission, a powerful utility regulator whose members are elected statewide. - Speaking at an Axios event Tuesday in Phoenix, Thompson continued: "How do you do that…
On February 9, 2026, the Center for Security Policy and the Secure the Grid Coalition filed an electric grid complaint with the federal government (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC) because the current standard (NERC TPL-007) does not protect the electric grid from geomagnetic disturbances caused by solar weather (solar flares) and E3 high altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) threats. This must be changed and only FERC has the authority to order a change in the standard. A full copy of the Complaint can be found here: Formal Complaint of Center for Security Policy et al. v. North American Electric Reliability Corporation under EL26-49 . This video explains the federal electric grid complaint: The Center’s complaint…Open
The AI-driven power boom is forcing a once-in-a-generation decision about how America's electricity system should grow. The big picture: For decades, utilities planned around predictable increases in demand. AI is changing that. State of play: Data centers now seek amounts of electricity that used to be associated with entire cities — raising questions about who pays for new infrastructure, who gets access to scarce power and how quickly projects can connect to the grid. Driving the news: Debates are unfolding at the nation's largest grid operator, PJM, and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. - Some proposals would allow data centers to connect directly to power plants or generate their own power on site, at least initially…
With no industry pushback, regulators have a clear path to incentivize the deployment of proven technologies that can mitigate billions in annual losses and strengthen grid resilience. In our previous article, “How to Prevent the Inevitable Collapse of the US Power Grid,” we warned of the very real risks to America’s electric grid from Ground-Induced Currents (GICs) and outlined a formal complaint we filed with the grid’s federal regulator—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC )—urging protection against this very real threat. We also highlighted the roughly $10 billion in annual economic losses from GIC-induced harmonics from routine, low-level solar storms and the availability of a proven, low-cost GIC-blocking…Open
HOUSTON — A high-stakes fight is emerging as the AI boom accelerates: Should data centers plug into the grid, or operate as energy "islands"? Why it matters: The debate is shaping power flows and multibillion-dollar investments, as data centers rival entire cities in their electricity demand. Driving the news: Chevron said this week it's working on a deal to build a natural gas plant dedicated to a Microsoft data center in Texas — one of many signs that on-site power is gaining traction. - Roughly 30% of all planned data center power capacity is expected to be on site, according to a February report by Cleanview, a market intelligence firm — up from almost nothing a year earlier. "A lot of people look at that 30% figure from our…
To secure the US power grid, FERC must provide strong financial incentives to accelerate deployment of proven protection technologies. The Center for Security Policy and the Secure the Grid Coalition filed a formal Complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), docketed as EL26-49-000, this month. This is not another bureaucratic footnote. It is a direct challenge to the electric utility industry’s dangerous complacency—and a lifeline for the continuity of American society itself. The complaint asks FERC to do one simple, urgent thing: order the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC ) to assess and protect America’s bulk power system against ground-induced currents (GICs) to the international…Open
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted March 12 to authorize NextDecade Corp. to begin construction on the fourth and fifth production units at the company’s 984-acre tract near the Gulf of America along the Brownsville Ship Channel.
HOUSTON — Several top energy executives and a federal regulator had a message Thursday for Americans angry about soaring electricity bills: Help is on the way. Why it matters: The cost of electricity — which has spiked across much of the country over the past year — has become a top-tier political issue, with Democrats making it a focus of their affordability push. Driving the news: At a CERAWeek panel on affordability, the executives said investments in grid improvements, closer cooperation among states and the federal government, help from hyperscalers, and other measures will bring down rates. - Southern California Edison president and CEO Steve Powell said wildfire-related upgrades dramatically drove up his customers' rates…
Big Tech's coming vow to pay for its own power amid the data center boom may be light on policy specifics. But it could still pack a political punch. Why it matters: Electricity markets are largely regulated at the state and regional levels, limiting Washington's direct sway. - Even so, the White House-tech initiative "is a big bully pulpit that could influence state economic regulators around the country even if it lacks an implementation plan or regulatory teeth," said Rob Gramlich, founder of Grid Strategies, a consulting firm. Catch up quick: Tech execs are expected at the White House next week to sign what President Trump called a "ratepayer protection pledge" during Tuesday's State of the Union. - OpenAI and Amazon are taking…