Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)
What They Are Saying: SPEED and Reliability Act
Washington, DC – On September 25, 2025, Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA-50) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-06) introduced the Streamlining Powerlines Essential to Electric Demand (SPEED) and Reliability Act.
““Modernizing the nation’s electricity grid is critical to enabling the U.S. to continue leading in the 21st-century economy. Unfortunately, transmission and generation constraints across the country are restricting economic growth, including the development of the U.S. data center industry, which is seeking to continue investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. annually to build America’s digital infrastructure. The SPEED and Reliability Act, co-sponsored by Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) and Representative Andy Barr (R-KY), provides a bipartisan framework to help alleviate unnecessary delays in infrastructure development that risk economic growth. For too long, Washington has delayed advancing durable and meaningful permitting reform, but the time to act is now. Increasingly, we’re seeing strong evidence that other countries, including China, have developed sufficient power infrastructure to quickly scale their digital infrastructure and AI capabilities. This would have concerning implications for U.S. national security and future global economic leadership. In short, we risk being left behind. Comprehensive permitting reform is a must-have for America’s continued global leadership. We look forward to working with Congress to advance these critical reforms.” – Data Center Coalition
“BPC Action commends Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Andy Barr (R-KY) for their leadership on the Speed and Reliability Act, a commonsense bill that will expedite the siting and permitting of interregional transmission lines. Building out a reliable electric grid is essential to meet our skyrocketing energy demand and ensure energy affordability. We look forward to working with Congress on comprehensive permitting reform.” – Michele Stockwell, President, Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action)
“Building long-distance transmission lines is essential to meet rising power demand, support the energy transition, and address surging electric bills, but some permitting processes can delay or stymie projects. This bipartisan legislation would be a crucial step toward getting much-needed power lines built in an efficient and responsible manner.”– Talia Calnek-Sugin, Senior Policy Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
“Energy demand is skyrocketing, prices are surging, and we are in the midst of the AI race. At a time when we need to move more electricity to ensure reliable and affordable power for Americans, complex permitting systems are holding us back. Transmission must be included in any permitting reform package, and the American Conservation Coalition Action and our thousands of members across the country commend this bipartisan proposal to streamline permitting for critical transmission projects and bolster our nation’s grid.” – Chris Barnard, President, American Conservation Coalition Action
“The SPEED and Reliability Act would give America the nationally coordinated tools needed to build big at a time when defense-critical facilities such as data centers and heavy manufacturing are urgently seeking reliable power. We thank Representatives Peters and Barr for their leadership and look forward to working with them and their colleagues to enact bold reforms to meet the demands of the 21st Century.” – Avery Ash, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE)
“The large industrial sector supports the goals of this bipartisan bill addressing electric transmission, a testament to effective collaboration aimed at enhancing the grid’s reliability and affordability. This crucial legislation helps cut through permitting bottlenecks, positioning the United States to re-energize domestic manufacturing, lead the AI race, and stimulate broad economic growth in the energy and manufacturing sectors.” – Karen Onaran, President and CEO, Electricity Consumers Resource Council
“We need to get more clean, reliable, cheap energy onto our grid, and we need the transmission to get it to people’s homes. Families are paying too much for their electric bill each month, and extreme weather is causing more frequent blackouts. The SPEED and Reliability Act will supply more electricity to our homes, prevent blackouts during intense storms and cut costs for consumers. This proposal finds important common ground, and we look forward to working with the bill’s authors to identify more robust community engagement measures.” – Joanna Slaney, Vice President for Political and Government Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund
“Amid soaring load growth and rising costs, the SPEED and Reliability Act would provide the tools to build the reliable, affordable grid America needs.” – Thomas Hochman, Director of Infrastructure Policy, Foundation for American Innovation
“The SPEED and Reliability Act makes clear that leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize the essential role transmission plays in delivering reliable and affordable power to communities nationwide. I commend the sponsors for advancing legislation that cuts red tape and clarifies FERC’s authority over nationally significant lines.” – Liza Reed, Director of Climate and Energy, Niskanen Center
“Our outdated permitting policies are hindering the ability to enhance our grid, causing the U.S. to lose investment, risk reliable power delivery to homes and businesses, burden families with rising bills, and fall behind. Energy politization is threatening American competitiveness and harming consumers. Building transmission infrastructure to power a modern economy deserves broad bipartisan support. This bill is a step in the right direction.” – Frank Macchiarola, Chief Advocacy Officer, American Clean Power Association (ACP)
“To power our AI-driven future and grow American manufacturing, we need to significantly grow the grid. The ability to move that new electricity generated to consumers requires a dramatically more efficient process. We commend the bipartisan efforts by Reps. Barr (R-KY) and Peters (D-CA) for introducing this proposal as permitting reform discussions progress in Congress.” – Jeremy Harrell, CEO, ClearPath Action.
“It is inexcusably difficult to plan and build regional transmission today. The R Street Institute applauds this bipartisan effort to reform unworkable statutory schemes and reduce planning and permitting barriers, improving reliability while minimizing costs.” – Kent Chandler, Resident Senior Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy, R Street Institute.
“Efficient transmission buildout and improved load forecasting are essential for providing customers with affordable and reliable power. Today, transmission lines needed to deliver power to customers often face duplicative reviews and a regulatory system that rewards inefficient development and suppresses efficient development. We appreciate Congress’s continued work to make it easier to scale up new industries while keeping costs low for all customers and look forward to working with all Members of Congress on these important issues.” – Jeff Dennis, Executive Director, Electricity Customer Alliance
“It takes a lot of energy to be a mom. And these days it seems like we all demand more energy than ever. So we light up when we hear good news from lawmakers: a pragmatic, solutions-oriented bipartisan bill to get more clean electricity quickly and reliably to the places that need it most: our communities, our neighborhoods, our schools, and our homes. The SPEED and Reliability Act would cut through unnecessary delays in building out the electricity superhighway of the future—one all families need right now. Moms expect that lawmakers will find ways to listen to what communities need and want, too, as they create better ways to light up and power our lives—and protect our children’s futures.” – Dominique Browning, Director and Co-Founder, Moms Clean Air Force
To learn more about the SPEED and Reliability Act, click here.
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