Sponsors (2)
The bill lets utilities combine mitigation with post‑disaster restorations to strengthen the grid and lower future costs, but it may raise near‑term federal spending, add administrative burden that could slow recoveries, and leave earlier disaster victims without the same funding access.
Utilities (and the communities they serve) can perform cost‑effective mitigation work while restoring power after disasters, reducing future outage risk and lowering repair costs for customers.
Taxpayers and utilities are more likely to see reduced long‑term disaster recovery costs because the bill encourages more resilient grid investments shortly after disasters, preventing repeated damage.
Utilities remain eligible for additional §406 hazard mitigation grants even if they received §403 restoration funds, enabling access to more funding for resilience projects.
Taxpayers could face higher near‑term federal disaster spending obligations because combining mitigation with restorations may increase immediate appropriations needs.
FEMA and utilities may face added administrative complexity to plan and authorize combined restoration/mitigation projects, which could slow some restorations and delay power restoration for customers.
Utilities harmed by disasters before this bill was enacted could be treated unequally because the change only applies to post‑enactment appropriations, leaving earlier events ineligible for joint mitigation funding.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows electric utilities to do cost‑effective hazard mitigation during FEMA §403-funded emergency power restoration and preserves their eligibility for §406 mitigation grants.
Allows electric utilities to perform cost‑effective hazard mitigation work at the same time as FEMA-funded emergency power restoration and preserves their eligibility for later FEMA mitigation funding when otherwise eligible. The change applies only to FEMA Stafford Act funds appropriated on or after enactment. This clarifies that receiving emergency restoration assistance does not bar utility facilities from getting mitigation grants, and explicitly permits pairing mitigation activities with restoration under current emergency funding rules.
Official title: To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize Federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Val Hoyle · Last progress January 16, 2025