House Democrats introduced the Cheap Energy Act, a legislative package that reframes climate policy as an affordability push. (Heatmap)
The bill would expand FERC’s authority to site and approve major transmission lines, add a federal tax credit for new projects, and set regional transfer requirements to improve grid reliability. It also tackles cost-allocation rules that have stalled development for years.
It shifts utilities toward performance-based ratemaking—tying profits to customer savings instead of capital spending—and provides federal backing for grid-enhancing technologies, wildfire prevention, and transformer manufacturing under the Defense Production Act.
Other provisions include restoring wind and solar tax credits, requiring DOE to justify LNG export approvals based on domestic price impacts, and narrowing DOE’s use of “emergency” powers to keep uneconomic fossil plants running.