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1 1 (August 29, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveqmf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024: Electricity Provisions August 29, 2024 On July 22, 2024, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee released draft text for a permitting reform bill; the next day, S. 4753-the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024-was introduced. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ordered reported an amended version of the bill on July 31, 2024. The bill addresses many infrastructure permitting topics related to a broad set of energy sources and minerals. This analysis summarizes the provisions in Title IV and Title V of the bill as ordered reported, which relate to electricity. Siting of Electricity Transmission Infrastructure Under current law, siting authority for electricity transmission infrastructure primarily resides in the states. Although Congress, in 2005, carved out a limited role for the federal government acting through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the commission has never exercised this authority. (For further discussion, see CRS Report R47862, Electricity Transmission: What Is the Role of the Federal Government?). FERC's backstop siting authority, as it is known, allows the commission to permit the construction or modification of certain interstate transmission facilities if a state agency has denied approval, among other circumstances (16 U.S.C. § 824p(b)). This authority relies upon the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designating certain areas as National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) based upon a triennial DOE study of transmission congestion. Federal financial support is available for electricity transmission infrastructure developed in NIETCs. S. 4753 would amend FERC's backstop siting authority to apply to construction and modification of certain interstate electricity infrastructure (including infrastructure used to transmit electricity from the Outer Continental Shelf) without requiring a NIETC designation. Covered infrastructure would generally need to have a voltage rating of 100 kilovolts (kV) or higher and meet other criteria, such as being consistent with the public interest and benefiting customers. The bill would preserve FERC's backstop role; transmission developers would still need to seek state approval first (as is currently the case). Under the bill, FERC's backstop siting authority would not apply within the area of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) (as is also currently the case). Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12412 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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