Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act

This bill creates a permanent fund in the U.S. Treasury for the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA). Money going into the fund includes SWPA’s receipts and collections, any new appropriations, and unspent balances moved over from several older SWPA accounts. The money stays available until it’s used, rather than expiring each year. The fund can pay for running and maintaining power lines, marketing electricity, and building or buying transmission lines, substations, and related facilities. Extra money left over each year goes back to the U.S. Treasury. The Department of Energy can also start certain spending before new yearly funding arrives, with the fund covering it.

In plain terms, this is meant to make it easier for SWPA to plan, operate, and improve the regional power system that it manages, without gaps in funding from year to year.

• Who is affected: SWPA and the customers and communities it serves with transmitted and marketed power.
• What changes: A single, ongoing fund is set up; money from older SWPA accounts is moved into it; funds can be used for operations, maintenance, marketing, and building power lines and substations; any extra is sent back each year; and some spending can begin ahead of new appropriations and be covered by the fund.
• When: These changes would take effect if the bill becomes law.