Review – HR 7257 Introduced – State Energy Plans

Last month Rep Latta (R,OH) introduced HR 7257, the Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient (SECURE) Grid Act. The bill would amend 42 USC 6326 to require States to include local distribution systems in their State Energy Security Plans described in that section. No new funding is authorized by this legislation.

The bill is similar to HR 9083 that was introduced by Latta in July 2024. No action was taken on that bill in the 118^th Congress. While similar in intent, HR 7257 is a substantial rewrite. Some of the changes of interest include:

Modifying the proposed definition of the term ‘local distribution systems’ by increasing the maximum voltage from 35 kilovolts to 100 kilovolts,

Removing the proposed language being added to (b)(2)(B) referencing “energy supply disruptions resulting from increased demand on the electric grid, deteriorating assets [emphasis added], and physical and cybersecurity threats”, and

Removing from the proposed language revision in (b)(3) reference to “risks and liabilities posed by human error or mismanagement”.

Moving Forward

Latta and his two cosponsors are members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there could be sufficient influence to see this bill considered in Committee. I see nothing in this bill that would engender any organized opposition. I suspect that there will be some level of bipartisan support for this bill in Committee. Whether that support would be sufficient to see the bill considered in the Full House under the suspension of the rules remains to be seen.

 

For more information on the provisions of this bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-7257-introduced-state-energy-plans - subscription required.