SPEED and Reliability Act of 2025

Summary

Makes targeted, substantive changes to the Federal Power Act’s section on transmission reliability by replacing statutory definitions and rewriting the Secretary of Energy’s finding/authority language and related procedures. It adds new defined terms (including a detailed definition of “improved reliability” and a formal definition of “landowner input”), changes the statutory trigger and timing for the Secretary’s action, and substitutes new procedural text for existing paragraphs that govern how federal review and actions interact with state processes.

• Rewrites key definitions in the Federal Power Act section governing transmission reliability, including precise metrics for “improved reliability.”
• Changes the statutory trigger and timing language so the Secretary of Energy makes a finding under the revised standard and the controlling date is the date of filing with a state commission or other entity.
• Creates a statutory definition of “landowner input” tied to Commission notification and consultation, formalizing a route for affected landowners to submit input.
• Deletes and replaces several existing procedural paragraphs, indicating substantive reworking of the federal review and approval framework.
• Does not include explicit funding, tax changes, or an effective date in the provided text.
• Likely increases federal involvement in transmission reliability determinations and changes coordination dynamics between DOE/FERC and state commissions.
• Introduces metric-based criteria (expected unserved energy, loss-of-load) that could change how reliability benefits are measured and debated.
• Leaves implementation details and full scope of procedural change unclear until the replacement text or agency guidance is released.