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Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) and Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA), co-chairs of the Grid Innovation Caucus, have introduced legislation, H.R. 3290, to modernize the nation’s aging electric grid and improve reliability, security, and resiliency. The legislation directs the Secretary of Energy to develop and implement voluntary model pathways that would seek to update the grid. These blueprints would result from a collaborative approach of bringing industry and regulators to the table in order to increase innovation, empower consumers, and develop real-time situational awareness for the electric grid.

“There are countless reasons why now is the time to upgrade our aging electric grid,” said Latta. “Whether it’s improving resilience and reliability, ensuring better protection from cyberattacks, or increasing efficiency, we need to empower states to make the necessary changes to modernize the grid. Instead of government mandates and taxpayer money to fix the problem, let’s have industry and regulators work together in a collaborative way to find solutions that can be applied across the country. That’s exactly what this bill would do, establish voluntarily model pathways that would provide a blueprint for bringing our aging grid into the 21st century.”
 
“Technology is constantly evolving, yet we have not addressed the issue that is paramount to efficiently keeping up with new trends and demands,” said McNerney. “In light of the recent string of cyberattacks around the globe, which have targeted companies’ and countries’ energy systems, it’s time to have a serious discussion about how we can improve resiliency and stability and bring our grid system into the 21stcentury. By bringing industry leaders to the table with government regulators, we can carve a path to a modern grid system that will protect Americans from the growing number of cyber threats while maintaining accessibility and affordability.”

McNerney and Latta also have introduced a resolution that states the sense and commitment of the United States House of Representatives is to advance the modernization of the United States’ energy delivery infrastructure. More information on that resolution is available here.

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