Today Reps. Pete Olson (R-TX), Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Gene Green (D-TX) issued the following statements in support of S. 2620, a bill introduced by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), which would ensure power remains on during extremely high demand periods. S. 2620 is a companion bill to Olson's bill H.R. 271, the Reliability Act, which was passed by voice vote in the House of Representatives May 22, 2013. Doyle and Green are original co-sponsors to the House bill.
Congressman Pete Olson said, "As America's energy demands grow, power grids in states like Texas and others across the country are being warned about reliability concerns. My bill was unanimously passed in the House over a year ago. I'm pleased that Senators McCaskill and Blunt are taking up the mantle in the Senate to fix an unfortunate glitch in federal law that forces power generators to choose which federal law they must violate - a DOE emergency order to maintain power or environmental laws that expose them to citizen lawsuits. This legislation is an important component of ensuring electric grid reliability for all Americans. I hope the Senate passes this bill as soon as possible."
Congressman Mike Doyle said, "We've identified a situation where well-intentioned laws are having unintended adverse consequences. It only makes sense to address this problem. The Reliability Act provides a simple, thoughtful solution to that problem, so that private sector power generators can comply with a federal government emergency order without making themselves liable to legal action for violating different federal laws. Congress has an obligation to resolve cases where conflicting laws put private entities in untenable situations."
Congressman Gene Green said, "We're glad that a companion bill to the Reliability Act has finally been introduced in the Senate. This important legislation is a common sense, non-partisan solution to an issue that affects Americans all across the country. Our current system causes conflict and delays exactly when we can least afford them, all because of ill-defined bureaucratic authority. This bill will ensure that utilities that act under a Department of Energy's emergency must-run order will not endure unjust penalties under the Clean Air Act while providing Americans the power they need to keep their homes and businesses running. Emergencies can happen at any time, and when they do, we need a direct path to resolution, this bill provides that path."
Both the House and Senate bills would allow America's power companies to comply with federal orders to maintain grid reliability during a power emergency without facing lawsuits or penalties for possibly violating potentially conflicting federal environmental laws. A similar version was also passed in the 112th Congress.