Recognizing that the retirement of nonintermittent electric generation facilities, before facilities with equal or greater reliability attributes are available, is a threat to the reliability of the United States electric grid.
This is a nonbinding House Resolution (sense of the House) introduced in the 119th Congress. It states that retiring nonintermittent electric generation facilities (like coal, natural gas, or nuclear plants that provide steady, reliable power) before replacing them with facilities of equal or greater reliability threatens the reliability of the U.S. electric grid. The resolution cites analyses from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warning of elevated or high risk regions, shrinking reserve margins, and concerns that rapid interconnection of intermittent resources (wind and solar) amid environmental rules is destabilizing. It also aligns with President Trump’s energy agenda, portraying environmental rules and federal incentives as drivers of premature retirements and endorsing policies to unleash domestic energy production. As a resolution, it expresses the sense of Congress but does not enact policy or provide funding.
Key Points
- 1The resolution asserts that retiring nonintermittent generation before suitable replacements are available jeopardizes grid reliability.
- 2It cites the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment identifying several regions as at elevated or high risk of electricity shortages.
- 3- Regions named: ERCOT (Texas), MISO, the New England subregion of NEPC, PJM, East region of SERC, Southwest Power Pool, and the California–Mexico subregion of WECC.
- 4It notes forecasted declines in reserve margins across most subregions by 2034, with many below target levels and several turning negative, signaling reduced ability to handle demand spikes.
- 5It attributes premature retirements of baseload or dispatchable generation to environmental regulations and current federal incentives, arguing these retirements raise prices and undermine reliability.
- 6It expresses support for President Trump’s energy policy actions, including his “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, framing domestic energy production as essential to reliability, affordability, and national strength.
- 7The resolution is nonbinding: it represents a sense of Congress and does not authorize new regulations, obligations, or funding.