In committee
Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
This bill requires power plant operators to give five years' advance notice before closing down any major electric generating facility, unless it is knocked offline by an emergency. If federal regulators determine that power supplies are or will become inadequate within five years, they can order those plants to keep running for up to five-year intervals and mandate new power line planning. The bill also requires regulators to set rates to compensate plant owners for these added costs, while exempting operators from penalties or lawsuits if running the plants violates federal, state, or local environmental laws.
People affected—not determinable from the text provided; applies to operators of bulk-power generating units, public utilities, transmission organizations, and state commissions nationwide
Fiscal magnitude—CBO cost estimate published (H.R. 3632, Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025, 2025-09-29); dollar figure pending review extraction — see receipt
Reach64provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Pollution & development−55Courts & liability−45Federal vs. state/local+50Energy sources−50Greenhouse-gas policy−30
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- owners and operators of electric power plantsReceive FERC-determined rates and cost allocations to compensate them for the extra costs of continuing operations under a reliability order, and are shielded from civil liability, criminal liability, and citizen lawsuits under federal, state, or local environmental laws for actions necessary to comply.
- state utility commissions and transmission organizationsGain the right to file formal complaints with FERC to trigger hearings within 90 days and secure federal orders requiring utilities or power plants to fix current or anticipated service inadequacies.
- public electric utilitiesAre protected from FERC orders that would compel them to enlarge generating facilities or force electricity sales/exchanges that would impair service to their existing customers.
Who it burdens
- owners and operators of electric power plantsMust give at least five years' advance public notice before retiring any generating unit of five megawatts or larger (unless due to an unplanned disaster), and may be ordered by FERC to continue operating generating units that were planned for retirement.
- state utility commissions and transmission organizationsCan be required by FERC to develop and implement long-term plans for planning, constructing, and operating interstate transmission facilities.
Who opposes it
- environmental citizen suit plaintiffsTheir ability to bring citizen lawsuits or enforce federal, state, or local environmental compliance is explicitly eliminated against parties taking actions necessary to comply with FERC reliability orders.