Review - S 4895 Introduced – Grid Assistants

Last month Sen Wyden (D,OR) introduced S 4895, the Grid Resilience Improvement through Dedicated (GRID) Assistance Act (PL 117-158). The bill would amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, adding a new §40114, Grid Assistance Program. It would require DOE to establish a grant program to provide funding for the hiring, training, and retention Grid Assistants to help implement transmission capacity expansion and resiliency efforts. The bill would authorize the spending of $25-million per year through 2029 to fund the new program.

Moving Forward

Wyden is a subcommittee chair in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there is probably sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. Other than the increased funding (which some Republicans would reject without considering the program for which the funding in intended), I see nothing that would engender any organized opposition. I would expect to see some level of bipartisan support for the bill if it were considered.

Due to how little time is left in the session to the lateness of the session, this bill is not likely to be brought to the floor.

 

For more details about the provisions of the bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/s-4895-introduced - subscription required.

Bills Introduced – 7-31-24

Yesterday, with just the Senate in Washington and preparing to leave for their Summer recess, there were 62 bills introduced. One of those bills will receive additional attention in this blog:

S 4895 A bill to establish a program to disseminate technical and other assistance to small and rural electric cooperatives to support expanding electric transmission capacity and hardening electric transmission and distribution infrastructure against cyberattacks and threats from natural hazards, with a focus on threats from wildfire, and for other purposes. Wyden, Ron [Sen.-D-OR]

Mention in Passing

There is one other bill that I would like to mention in passing (no future coverage planned):

SJ Res 106 A joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against the Islamic Republic of Iran for threatening the national security of the United States through the development of nuclear weapons. Graham, Lindsey [Sen.-R-SC]

Congress has become increasingly reluctant to authorize (and increasingly adamant about the need for such authorizations for) the use of military force, so this bill is unlikely to go anywhere. Further, Graham is not a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to which this bill is assigned for consideration, so it is unlikely that SJ Res 106 will be considered by that body. Coming on the eve of the Senate’s summer recess, I suspect that this is a campaign ploy (not for Graham, he is not up for reelection until 2028) as a ‘what would Donald do?” example for the party base.