Welcome to Grid Brief! Here’s what we’re looking at today: the Senate releases bipartisan permitting reform bill, the House of Representatives introduces grid reliability legislation, and fracking unlocks clean energy.

Senate Unveils Bipartisan Permitting Bill

Yesterday Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Joe Manchin (I-WV) unveiled the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. A sprawling 75-page bill, the Energy Permitting Reform Act includes provisions for oil and gas leasing, renewable development on federal lands, and transmission.

The bill would create efficiencies in these processes and further bolster FERC’s authority by eliminating the DOE’s National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor designation process.

The Energy Permitting Reform Act would require that NERC evaluate proposed regulations and “identify reasonably foreseeable adverse effects of the proposal on grid reliability, consider available ways to mitigate the effects of its proposal, and account for input from affected transmission organizations (e.g., Regional Transmission Organizations).” The bill would also require NERC’s assessment to be submitted to FERC and the public docket for any federal agency regulation, standard, or rule.

House Drops Grid Reliability Legislation

On Monday, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) released the Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid Act, or SECURE Grid Act. 

States currently must submit an annual State Energy Security Plan (SESP) to receive funds from the State Energy Program (SEP). The SEP is used to fund resiliency efforts, innovative pilot projects, and invest in domestic production.

While SESPs currently consider broad vulnerabilities like cyber attacks, the SECURE Grid Act would require states to also consider threats posed to local distribution facilities and supporting grid infrastructure, like distribution substations, increasing grid demand, and more.

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Conversation Starters

• How fracking could unlock green energy (The Washington Post)

  The same techniques that unleashed the fracking revolution are being used for geothermal power. Enhanced geothermal in particular is removing the geographical constraints associated with its traditional counterpart.

• ORNL develops grid-enhancing software (HPCWire)

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory has created an electromagnetic transient analysis (EMT), a simulation software to speed up calculations of grid designs, planning, and operation.

• Could our cooking oil come from algae? (The Wall Street Journal)

  Certain kinds of microalgae can be used to create a neutral-flavored cooking oil that is high in healthy fats and requires less energy and land than crops such as olives.

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