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A bipartisan group of California House lawmakers introduced legislation this week to mandate regional grid reliability standards to better incorporate extreme weather resilience.
The legislation comes amid high-profile blackouts in California and Texas, where extreme temperatures overloaded the grid with record demand, leaving millions of people without power for days at a time.
"The last two years, Public Safety Power Shutoffs have hit our district and our entire region hard, forcing businesses to close and leaving communities vulnerable and we cannot allow this to become routine," said Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) in a statement.
The legislation would direct the North American Electric Reliability Corp. to establish a standard that addresses bulk power system resilience.
Additionally, the bill would create a Department of Energy program to provide information on ways to better harden the grid.
"Power shut-offs every time the wind blows are not the makings of a modern economy. They're costly and an embarrassment," said Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.).
Grid resilience has reemerged as an energy policy talking point following California heat and wildfires last year and Texas' deep freeze earlier this year.
Pitched by Republicans in recent years as a way to bolster baseload resources like coal and nuclear, grid resilience has caught the attention of Biden administration officials, who see it as a catchall for preparing the electric system for climate change.
The president's infrastructure plan includes significant grid components. Lawmakers have also pushed a flurry of hearings and bills (E&E Daily, March 19).
Joining Thompson and LaMalfa in sponsoring the latest proposal are California Democratic Reps. Anna Eshoo, Doris Matsui, John Garamendi, Jared Huffman, Mark DeSaulnier, Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta.
By: Michael Doyle
Source: E&E News
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