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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6177 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6177
To modernize and standardize the manner in which information and data
is reported to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 20, 2025
Mr. Casten (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Subramanyam, Mr.
Quigley, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Carson, Mr. Moulton,
and Mr. Foster) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To modernize and standardize the manner in which information and data
is reported to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Grid Research and Development Act''.
SEC. 2. MODERNIZATION OF REPORTING INFORMATION AND DATA UNDER THE
FEDERAL POWER ACT.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall, by rule, modernize and
standardize the manner in which information and data are reported, by
transmitting utilities and Transmission Organizations, to the
Commission under the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 972 et seq.) in
accordance with this section.
(b) Content of Reports Requirements.--In carrying out subsection
(a), the Commission shall require the information and data that will be
reported, as it applies to projects, existing assets, or systems owned
or operated by a transmitting utility or Transmission Organization, to
include the following:
(1) Information and data relating to a project and the
lifecycle of such project, including--
(A) project milestones, including proposed,
approved, and actual in-service dates;
(B) project classification information, including
whether the project represents new construction, an
upgrade, or a rebuild of existing infrastructure;
(C) major development history, including original
construction and last major upgrade dates;
(D) the location of any applicable project;
(E) the project nameplate capacity, length, and
voltage; and
(F) an identification of the applicable planning
process through which the applicable project
originated.
(2) The costs and economic justifications of a project,
existing asset, or system owned or operated by a transmitting
utility or Transmission Organization, as applicable,
including--
(A) original projected and actual final costs of
all new projects;
(B) original projected and actual final costs of
renewals and replacements of project works;
(C) original projected and actual maintenance and
operations expenses of the projects and existing assets
on a current-year and five-year rolling average basis;
(D) cost allocation shares where applicable,
including identification of entities responsible for
shared investments in projects;
(E) cost-benefit analyses of projects;
(F) whether the project was subject to a
competitive solicitation process and, if applicable,
the outcome of that process; and
(G) classification of the project based on benefits
provided, under the relevant transmission planning
framework.
(3) The capital structure and the rate of return of a
project, existing asset, or system owned or operated by a
transmitting utility or Tranmission Organization, including--
(A) the allowed return on equity, return on debt,
and return on preferred stock;
(B) the authorized or actual capital structure,
including the percentage of debt, equity, and preferred
stock used in ratemaking;
(C) the resulting overall weighted average rate of
return;
(D) any Commission-approved incentive adders
applied to the base return on equity, including
rationale and duration; and
(E) where applicable, information necessary to
assess potential double leveraging effects arising from
a holding company structure, as defined by the
Commission.
(4) For information and data relating to a system owned or
operated by a transmitting utility or Transmission
Organization, as applicable, congestion-related costs or the
costs incurred by ratepayers, power supplies, or distribution
customers as a result of transmission system constraints that
prevent the dispatch of least-cost generation resources.
(5) Technical and non-technical losses and inefficiencies.
(6) A complete accounting of interconnection-related costs
incurred by interconnection customers, transmitting utilities,
or other entities, disaggregated by cost type and responsible
party, including--
(A) study fees;
(B) milestones or reservation payments;
(C) costs of local interconnection attachment
facilities;
(D) grid network upgrade costs; and
(E) estimates of costs to a larger system.
(7) The projected and actual capacity and load of a system
owned or operated by a transmitting utility or Transmission
Organization and the projected and actual amount of energy
delivered by such system.
(8) Information and data on the use of capital-efficient
advanced technologies, including information on--
(A) hourly usage;
(B) the location of the technologies; and
(C) the types of technologies deployed.
(9) Any additional metric the Commission determines
necessary to improve ratepayer affordability and understanding
of the transmission sector.
(c) Content of Interconnection Reports.--In carrying out subsection
(a), the Commission shall require a transmitting utility or
Transmission Organization to report, no less than quarterly, to the
Commission information and data on interconnection queues and details
relating to interconnection study models used.
(d) Format of Reports.--
(1) In general.--Pursuant to subsection (a), the Commission
shall ensure the completeness, accuracy, and accessibility of
information and data reported to the Commission under the
Federal Power Act, as the Commission determines necessary, by--
(A) establishing standardized reporting
requirements that specify standards for describing and
recording such information and data, and, if the
Commission determines appropriate, providing templates
or other tools to reduce administrative burden;
(B) providing a format for such information and
data to be submitted in a manner that is fully
searchable and machine-readable;
(C) requiring any form filed by a transmitting
utility or a Transmission Organization contains no
blank cells, unless clearly marked as exempt pursuant
to paragraph (2);
(D) requiring any projections required under
subsection (a) are defined, including key assumptions,
methodologies, and any other information that could
influence the result of the projection; and
(E) requiring the information and data reported
under this section are made available to the public
through a single, user-friendly web interface that
allows users to search, filter, and download the data
in a machine-readable format.
(2) Exemption.--
(A) In general.--A transmitting utility or a
Transmission Organization may request an exemption from
a requirement under paragraph (1) if such transmitting
utility or Transmission Organization submits to the
Commission a written statement explaining why such an
exemption is needed.
(B) Determination.--The Commission may approve the
request for an exemption if the Commission determines
that the exemption is justified based on the written
statement submitted under subparagraph (A).
(e) FERC Form No. 1.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Commission issues a rule under subsection (a), the
Commission shall review covered forms.
(2) Completeness.--Upon reviewing covered forms under
paragraph (1), if the Commission determines that a covered form
is incomplete, the Commission shall require the relevant
transmitting utility or Transmission Organization to file a
revised FERC Form No. 1 in a manner that complies with the
requirements of subsection (d) and the requirements under
section 141.1 of title 18, Code of Federal Regulations (or any
successor regulations).
(3) Covered form defined.--In this subsection, the term
``covered form'' means a FERC Form No. 1 filed with the
Commission by a transmitting utility or Transmission
Organization during the 5-year period immediately preceding the
date of enactment of this Act.
(4) Modernization and centralization of ferc form no. 1.--
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Commission, in collaboration with the Administrator, shall
make all historical and future FERC Form No. 1 filings publicly
available through the centralized data repository established
under section 3.
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRALIZED DATA REPOSITORY.
(a) In General.--The Commission, in collaboration with the
Administrator, shall develop and maintain a searchable and publicly
accessible data repository containing information and data the
Commission determines necessary to carry out the requirements of the
Federal Power Act and this Act, including information and data reported
or filed by a transmitting utility or Transmission Organization--
(1) in FERC Form Nos. 1, 1-F, 3-Q, 714, 715, and 730,
including information or data from these forms reported prior
to the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2) pursuant to the requirements of this Act.
(b) EIA Expertise.--In collaborating with the Commission under this
section with respect to the data repository developed under subsection
(a), the Administrator shall--
(1) develop and maintain schemas and metadata for Form No.
1 data consistent with section 3506(b)(6) of title 44, United
States Code;
(2) provide user-friendly tools to explore, download, and
analyze such data, including filtering by utility, year,
region, and data category; and
(3) ensure such data is accessible to the public in both
bulk and disaggregated forms, with Application Programming
Interfaces and visualization tools where feasible.
(c) Requirements.--The Commissioner shall ensure that the data
repository developed and maintained under subsection (a)--
(1) includes the data in fully searchable and machine-
readable format;
(2) is capable of including high-quality data through
schemas and accompanying metadata;
(3) ensures consistent identification of data elements or
assets that satisfy regulatory requirements for data,
established by the Commission, as reflected in machine-readable
metadata;
(4) uses standardized data formats across all Transmission
Organizations and transmitting utilities;
(5) is used by Transmission Organizations and transmitting
utilities to file reports required under the Federal Power Act
and this Act;
(6) enables uploading of reports filed under the Federal
Power Act or this Act;
(7) is optimized for operability by Transmission
Organizations and transmitting utilities to limit the
administrative burden of, and ensure consistency in, such
filings;
(8) includes interactive tools and visualization interfaces
to allow users to explore trends in transmission buildout,
interconnection timelines, and associated ratepayer costs;
(9) incorporates Application Programming Interfaces or bulk
download functionality to support third-party analysis and
research; and
(10) ensures that publicly accessible data is aligned with
the security of guidelines for Critical Energy/Electric
Infrastructure Information, and includes appropriate data
anonymization and cybersecurity protections, based on
Commission guidance.
SEC. 4. GRID RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS.
(a) Research and Policy Analysis.--The Secretary, in collaboration
with the Commission, using standardized methodologies and anonymized
queue data collected under this Act, shall conduct research and publish
periodic reports on the following topics:
(1) Primary drivers of increased costs to ratepayers
associated with transmission and interconnection, including--
(A) transmission capital expenditures;
(B) interconnection-related upgrade costs;
(C) interconnection study delays;
(D) regional variations in cost allocation
methodologies; and
(E) cost recovery practices by utilities and grid
operators.
(2) Value delivered to ratepayers from transmission and
interconnection investments, including through--
(A) improvements to electric system reliability;
(B) avoided emissions or emissions reductions; and
(C) enhancements to long-term system resilience and
grid flexibility.
(3) Mechanisms to enhance ratepayer affordability,
including--
(A) evaluation of performance-based regulation
frameworks applied to transmission and interconnection-
related investments;
(B) assessment of alternative interconnection
solutions such as grid-enhancing technologies, shared
infrastructure models, or consolidated upgrades; and
(C) evaluation of demand-side interventions that
reduce the need for costly transmission or
interconnection investments.
(4) Comparative scenario modeling of potential energy
futures, to--
(A) identify lowest-cost pathways to national grid
expansion;
(B) assess trade-offs among investment strategies;
and
(C) inform decision-making by utilities, regional
planning entities, and Federal agencies.
(5) Systemic cost impacts from interconnection
inefficiencies, including analysis of how study delays, queue
withdrawals, and increased construction periods contribute to
higher system costs for ratepayers or generators.
(6) Opportunities to increase system efficiency and unlock
latent capacity through improved operational practices and
deployment of advanced technologies, including--
(A) assessment of unused or underutilized grid
capacity due to outdated planning assumptions or lack
of dynamic optimization;
(B) evaluation of technologies such as dynamic line
ratings, topology optimization, flexible
interconnection, or flow control devices; and
(C) quantification of benefits to ratepayers and
system operators from unlocking this capacity relative
to traditional capital-intensive buildout.
(b) Interconnection Transparency and Dashboard.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, through one or more
National Laboratories, develop, maintain, and continuously
improve an Interconnection Data Dashboard (in this section
referred to as the ``Dashboard'') that presents real-time and
historical information relevant to interconnection of
generators, loads, and other utilities or transmission systems.
(2) Purpose.--The Dashboard shall provide public
stakeholders, regulators, utilities, developers, and
researchers with transparent, up-to-date insights into the
effectiveness, efficiency, affordability, and reliability of
interconnection processes across all transmission planning
regions.
(3) Data sources.--The Dashboard shall incorporate data
collected under section 3 of this Act and from FERC Form No. 1
filings, relevant Commission filings, publicly available
interconnection queue data, and additional datasets, as
determined appropriate by the Secretary or the Commission.
(4) Capabilities.--The Secretary shall develop the
Dashboard to be able to--
(A) present anonymized interconnection queue data,
including application volumes, withdrawal rates,
project timelines, and milestones;
(B) provide visualization of average and median
interconnection study durations, disaggregated by
region and project type;
(C) show aggregated system upgrade costs, study
backlogs, and queue performance metrics;
(D) allow filtering by geographic location (e.g.,
State, balancing authority, latitude/longitude
coordinate), utility, fuel type, and project size;
(E) present each interconnection project's current
development status, such as application submitted,
study phase, approved, under construction, or in-
service;
(F) display physical asset characteristics for each
interconnection project and system segment, including
nameplate generation capacity, peak load served, and
conductor capacity ratings;
(G) identify trends in queue reform outcomes,
including impacts on throughput, delay reduction, and
project completion rates;
(H) support export of underlying data in machine-
readable formats for public analysis; and
(I) perform any other function the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(5) Reporting.--The Secretary, in collaboration with
National Laboratories and the Commission, shall publish annual
reports summarizing findings from the Dashboard, based on data
collected pursuant to section 3, without substituting for the
more comprehensive cost-driver analysis required under
subsection (a), including--
(A) interregional comparisons of queue efficiency
and project success rates;
(B) systemic drivers of delay or cost escalation;
(C) estimated ratepayer impacts associated with
interconnection bottlenecks; and
(D) recommendations for improving interconnection
transparency and system performance.
(6) Public access.--The Dashboard shall be made available
on a public website and designed for use by a broad range of
users, including through visualizations, downloadable datasets,
and API access, while maintaining protections for CEII.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Energy Information Administration of the
Department of Energy.
(2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
(3) FERC form no. 1.--The term ``FERC Form No. 1'' means
the Form of Annual Report for Major electric utilities,
licensees, and others, designated as FERC Form No. 1 and
prescribed under section 141.1 of title 18, Code of Federal
Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this
Act).
(4) Metadata.--The term ``metadata'' has the meaning given
such term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
(5) Project.--The term ``project'' refers exclusively to
transmission infrastructure projects planned, proposed, or
undertaken by the transmitting utility. This includes projects
initiated through--
(A) regional or local transmission planning
processes;
(B) interconnection studies;
(C) reliability-driven upgrades; and
(D) other applicable pathways as determined by the
Commission.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(7) Federal power act terms.--The terms ``transmitting
utility'', and ``Transmission Organization'' have the meanings
given those terms in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16
U.S.C. 796).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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