Sponsors (3)
The bill gives States and their ratepayers more control and protects them from being forced to fund other States' policy-driven transmission projects (with faster FERC guidance), but that protection risks complicating regional cost‑sharing, delaying transmission projects and renewables integration, shifting costs, and increasing legal and administrative burdens.
State residents and ratepayers are protected from being required to pay for transmission projects driven solely by another State's policy unless their State expressly consents, giving States greater control over whether their ratepayers fund out‑of‑state policy-driven upgrades.
Utilities, state governments, and other stakeholders gain regulatory clarity and a predictable timeline because FERC must issue implementing rules within 180 days.
Consumers and taxpayers in some areas could face higher electricity costs or uneven rate impacts if states refuse to share costs regionally, because projects' costs may be allocated differently or concentrated on consenting jurisdictions.
Transmission planning and regional cost‑sharing could become more complex and slower, delaying reliability improvements and the integration of renewables across regions.
Utilities and multi‑state transmission providers may face increased legal uncertainty and administrative burdens as parties and FERC litigate and implement the new presumptions, raising compliance costs and project risk.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars multi‑state transmission providers from allocating costs to out‑of‑state consumers for projects done to implement a State's policy unless the consumer’s State consents.
Prevents multi‑state transmission providers from charging consumers in other states for transmission projects that were planned, built, or operated to implement a single State's policy unless the consumer's State (or a designated official) expressly agrees. It adds a new rule to the Federal Power Act and directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue implementing regulations within 180 days. The change narrows the usual practice of regional cost‑sharing for certain state‑driven transmission projects by creating a presumption that benefits and cost‑causers of those projects are limited to residents of the state whose policy motivated the project, unless cross‑state cost allocation is explicitly consented to.
Introduced December 1, 2025 by Kevin Cramer · Last progress December 1, 2025