Sponsors (2)
The bill increases transparency and requires assessment of affordability and reliability impacts from DOE rules—helping households, businesses, and utilities—but adds administrative burdens, may raise costs passed to consumers, and risks privileging short-term affordability over long-term environmental and health outcomes.
Middle-class households and small businesses will receive formal DOE analysis of how energy rules affect their bills, helping identify measures to limit bill increases.
Utilities, energy companies, and rural communities will have energy reliability impacts assessed, so policy decisions better consider effects on consistent access to power.
Congressional committees and the public gain clearer reporting and oversight on affordability impacts, improving transparency for lawmakers and taxpayers.
The measure could bias policy design toward short-term affordability at the expense of long-term emissions reductions and health benefits, risking weaker environmental protections for the general public and future generations.
Compliance and reporting requirements could raise costs for utilities and energy providers that are likely to be passed on to consumers, increasing bills for households and small businesses.
Adding a new review layer creates administrative burden that could slow DOE rulemaking and increase costs for the Department of Energy and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a DOE Office of Energy Affordability to review proposed energy-transition rules for impacts on costs and reliability, advise DOE, and report annually to Congress.
Creates a new Office of Energy Affordability inside the Department of Energy to review DOE proposed regulations or policies that require or relate to shifts in energy type or source and to assess their effects on household and business energy costs and on reliability. The office must complete reviews quickly, provide advice and guidance, issue annual reports with recommendations to key congressional committees, and the Secretary must evaluate the office’s effectiveness within five years.
Introduced April 22, 2026 by Michael Lawler · Last progress April 22, 2026