Rep. Burlison Introduces the Reliable Grid Act of 2024
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Eric Burlison (MO-07) introduced the Reliable Grid Act of 2024 to protect the electric grid from damaging, energy killing regulations implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This bill prohibits the EPA Administrator from enforcing rules and regulations that restrict power plant operation and impact the electric grid unless its security and reliability are guaranteed.
According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2023 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, most of the United States’ electric grid is either at an elevated or high risk of disruptions and outages. The Reliable Grid Act of 2024 prevents the EPA from enforcing rules and regulations that restrict electric generating units unless all areas served by the power system are assessed as “Normal Risk” by the NERC’s risk report. This will help ease the burden on the electric grid and ensure Americans are free from any new EPA rule or regulation
“For decades, the EPA has implemented regulations that place unnecessary burdens on the energy sector and strain the United States’ electric grid,” said Rep. Burlison. “It is completely unacceptable that a large portion of the United States’ electric grid is either at an elevated or high risk of power disruptions and outages. My bill protects Americans from the rogue bureaucrats at the EPA who are more concerned with pushing climate alarmism than ensuring Americans have access to abundant, affordable, and reliable electricity,” concluded Rep. Burlison.
“America’s grid is in a state of rapidly worsening crisis, with the Federal government and many state governments pursuing a ruinous policy of reducing the supply of reliable power plants through shutdowns and increasing demand for reliable power through EV and other electrification mandates. The crisis is being compounded by new demand from data centers and AI,” said Alex Epstein, president of the Center for Industrial Progress and creator of Energy Talking Points.
I have said for years that the most obvious and urgent step is to pause all new grid-threatening activity by the EPA—the leading force shutting down reliable power plants—until the grid crisis is resolved.
Thankfully, Rep. Eric Burlison has offered a bill, the Reliable Grid Act, that does exactly that. If passed, the Act would stop the premature retirement of reliable generators by the EPA Administrator until the EPA demonstrates it can reliably meet electricity demand without frequent shortages in supply and in capacity safety margins.
I hope the new Congress and Administration takes up the Reliable Grid Act as a top priority. It is a crucial step toward undoing the near-fatal damage the outgoing administration has done to our grid and moving toward a future of abundant, affordable, and ultra-reliable American electricity,” stated Alex Epstein.