Subcommittee Markup of Eight Pieces of Legislation

the subcommittee will come to order the chair recognizes himself for an opening statement welcome to today's subcommittee mark-up to consider eight bills lower cost for households and promote innovation in our electric sector while ensuring the united states remains in pole position they'll win the race with Communist China for an AI development. The legislation before our subcommittee is the culmination of extensive regular order process to ensure sufficient public input and technical assistance. Throughout this Congress, witnesses before our subcommittee have made things crystal clear. Our nation is in the midst of uh concerning a reliability crisis, affordability, challenges restraining household budgets, and electric sector must meet the moment to ensure our country can compete and win in the next generation economy. Pardon me. These pillars have been our north star. Today we're taking action to improve the daily lives of everyday American families. Importantly, H R ninety-three forty, the rate payer protection act, introduced by my colleague from until Colorado's eighth congressional district seeks to ensure that costs associated with rapid load growth are not placed on the backs of captive r rate payers. This concept is simple, hard-working American households should not foot the bill for the costs that are caused by the growing electricity demands from large energy users. Using a light touch targeted and forward-looking approach, H R ninety three forty provides direction to the state utility commissions to establish large load tariffs that can methodically fuel investment in the job creating industries while protecting households from picking up the tap. Our electric grid needs additional capacity and fast, yet transmission costs have increased dramatically in the twenty-first century, while fuel and generation costs have plummeted. The cheapest transmission line is one that you don't have to build. HR sixty six thirty sixty six thirty three, the high capacity grid act, sponsored by our colleague from North Dakota's at-large congressional district will enhance our bulk power system with advanced conductors that have a higher cap- carrying capacity. To usher in a modernized electric system, H R ninety-three thirty-five, the Advanced Transmission to Reduced Rates Act, sponsored by our colleague from Texas's twelfth district, will bolster important work of the Department of Energy to develop innovative grid solutions and make it easier for utilities to deploy these technologies. Alongside these efforts, hr ninety-three thirty-two, the load forecasting enhancement act, introduced by our colleague from ohio's twelfth district, will foster important federal and state collaboration to improve accuracy of demand projections that will lead to more cost-effective infrastructure build-out. It's important to address what impacts ai has on the grid, but equally important to consider how ai can be used to improve the grid. hr ninety three thirty nine the affordable innovation for grid act sponsored by our colleague from tennessee's first district leverages the expertise of doe to study the different ways innovative computational models can improve efficiencies in our system. we will also consider hr sixty five twenty nine to protecting families from ai data center Energy Costs Act, and I thank our colleague from Ohio's first district for agreeing to changes that respect the critical roles of states in addressing retail rates of electric service. Also under consideration is H R ninety-three thirty-eight, the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act, which re-authorizes PHMSA's pipeline safety program for five years. This streamlined bill will enable PHMSA to refocus on safety as its essential mission while making common sense changes to ensure PHMSA can regulate efficiency while maintaining and improving safety. This bill is a product of bipartisan work that is still ongoing, and I look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a bipartisan path forward to ensure the safe development and oversight of our pipeline infrastructure. Last, I'd like to thank our colleague and ranking member from Florida's fourteenth District continue to work to refine hr nine twenty nine eighty six the expediting genera generator interconnection and interconnection procedures act to insure the provisions of the bill addresses current challenges facing the interconnection process and provide discretion to regions based on their unique differences while improvements are necessary for the bill i i commit to working with our colleague the ranking member to and also to work in good faith and hopefully find that common ground Altogether, this timely subcommittee mark-up takes another step to affirming American energy dominance, for the benefit of all of our constituents. And with that, I yield back, and I now recognize the gentlelady from Florida's fourteenth district and ranking member of the subcommittee, for five minutes for an opening statement.

Well, thank you Chairman Latta and colleagues, we're really looking forward to today's mark-up. Today, uh, we have a lot of work to do, especially since household electric bills have riven risen eighteen percent. in the United States since twenty twenty five, and the war in Iran has inflicted additional economic pain on our neighbors back home. Uh, Gas Buddy said yesterday that gas prices in Florida alone are averaging three hundred or three dollars, eighty nine cents, nearly a dollar higher than before the war started. So it's clear that we've got to work together to lower energy costs, and uh that's why it's It's people are pained though, uh by the waste of time and money in watching the administration kill off energy projects, Mm-hmm. um paying companies two point five billion dollars to abandon their offshore wind projects, many of them were already under construction, spending seven hundred million of taxpayer money to prop up dying coal plants. In this affordability squeeze it makes no sense. Mm. for the president to cancel energy projects, but he's done so for three hundred and eighty-two energy projects. Um, so it is hopeful in any event to that this committee can begin work on real solutions. For example, our bipartisan proposal to protect working families from the cost of AI data center energy infrastructure, the rate payer protection act, is a step in the right direction. Uh, last week FERC also recognized the importance of protecting rate payers, as they ordered regional grid operators that are connecting large energy users to adopt uh they adopted a unanimous bipartisan agreement to protect consumers while delivering transparency reliability and innovation. However, it's important to remember that uh FERC's actions will not help one third of the uh American population who live outside of an electricity market. So we need to make sure that all of the nation's grid operating operators are playing by fair rules, not just some of them. FERC also outlined uh a number of solutions. Grid enhancing technologies, which allow us to get more out of the existing grid that we've already paid for. Advanced load flexibility, which can limit the need for grid upgrades and reduce power bills for everybody. And smarter planning, reducing project speculation and improving grid studies. And now it's Congress's turn to uh build on that work. I appreciate the inclusion of my expediting generator interconnection procedures act in today's mark-up, and I I appreciate your remarks, Mister Chairman, at the outset. I ho- I know we can work together in a bipartisan way to move it forward uh to the full committee. And we really cannot afford to wait. We need congressional action in this committee to make the targeted policy f- reforms now on how we plan, permit, and pay for transmission that can unlock energy growth that our country needs. We need to do more to measure an increased grid utilization, which could save Americans up to a hundred billion dollars over the next decade. We need to help deploy virtual power plants, leveraging the innovative new technologies like smart thermostats and batteries, already in communities across the country to provide grid reliability faster and at lower cost. We need to do more to ensure companies meet their promises to not only pay for energy infrastructure, but also power their data centers with cleaner, cheaper energy and battery storage. Uh, today's hearing also includes a long overdue reauthorization of our pipeline safety program. While the bill is still incomplete, I appreciate that my Republican colleagues are working with us and hope that we can come to a bipartisan agreement that protects the American people, not just oil and gas special interest. Uh, let me be clear, the bills we're discussing today will not address all of the challenges facing, uh, the h- high cost of energy and the need to upgrade our grid, uh, but they take an important step in the right direction. I hope we can all continue to work together to deliver clean, reliable energy that can power the twenty-first century economy and lower costs for all Americans. Thank you and I yield back.

Well, thank you very much. The general, I yield back.

Thank you, uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I appreciate you having this mark-up today, the the uh, the consideration today. The subcommittee will consider eight bills to protect electric rate pairs from unnecessary cost increased grip capacity and improved pipeline safety. The bills reflect a significant amount of bipartisan work. They take a practical step to address some of the pressing energy and power issues of the day. These issues concern the costs for our power system to reliably meet growing power demand and what is needed to protect rate payers from unprecedented spending to meet that demand. We also take up reauthorizing PHMSA to ensure a safe and affordable supply of oil and gas for businesses and households. Throughout this Congress, the Energy Subcommittee has developed a large hearing record on various forces that will affect the future of our energy system. For the power sector, we've heard from more than forty expert witnesses representing all aspe as aspects of the industry, from small utilities to major grid operators to state and federal regulators. We've examined reliability, the challenges, benefits, and vital importance of data centers in what is needed to build the power generation and grid we need for the future and to do so quickly. These are complex challenges that frustrate simple or one size that frustrate simple or one size fits all solutions, especially when it comes to the various ways states and communities are responding to energy and power needs. Even at the federal regulatory level, one size fits all power sector policy may not be appropriate. Just this past week, rather than issue a sweeping regulatory proposal for ge- connecting large data centers to transmission systems, FERC chose to assess different regions on their own terms, recognizing that what works in the Midwest may not work in uh New England. Regional and state approaches matter, and we should not forget that. This is why policies that support the sharing of technical information to encourage best practices make sense. Whether it's the grid or pipe li pipeline safety, it also makes sense to set general frameworks that states may then adjust to meet the needs of their communities, This is what several bills do today. We're on a good track. Thanks to wor- your work, Chairman Latta, and thanks to the members on both sides of the aisle and the ranking member, Caster. We appreciate the willingness to work together. We're committed to doing so, and I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back, and the chair now recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey, the uh ranking member of the full committee, for five minutes from opening statement.

Thank you, Chairman Latta. Most of the bills on today's agenda are framed around trying to minimize the impact of data centers on our nation's power grid. And I think in general these bills are a useful first step. Compa- but compared to the challenges the American power grid is facing, they are not nearly enough. Energy consumption from data centers doubled between two thousand seventeen and two thousand thirteen. That's a six year period, and that's just the beginning if big tech gets its way. Last week Berkeley Lab put out a report claiming that data centers may be responsible for over fifteen percent of our nation's total electricity use by twenty thirty just four years from now. The North Atlantic Electric Reliability Corporation put out its most severe warning last month, saying that data centers cause significant risk to the reliability of our power grid. And these data centers consume a lot of electricity, driving up monthly energy costs for hardworking American families. Across the country, electricity prices are eighteen percent higher than they were when President Trump was inaugurated. Promises by the data center industry and big tech that these facilities will bring down costs have fallen flat. Instead, the grid operator for the mid-Atlantic region estimated that rate payers, including families in New Jersey, paid over nine billion dollars last year for the electricity that data centers and big tech need to fuel their AI their AI uh demands. And then there are the environmental impacts. We are seeing data centers running on dirty diesel generators that drive up pollution. while the Trump administration runs roughshod over the Clean Air Act's critical community protections to shield Elon Musk from accountability. There are reports of data centers being approved without any analysis of their water use, even in water stress communities. Those living and working near data centers complain of chronic noise pollution and increased light pollution. And the EPA is even trying to fast-track the approval of chemicals like new PFAS for use in data centers putting the health of Americans across the nation at risk. So, Mister Chairman, this simply cannot continue, and that's why I'm in favor of a national AI data center moratorium, until we can find a way to ensure they don't harm our nation's air, water and power bills. Towns in my district are way ahead of this Congress in seeking a moratorium. Esbury Park, Red Bank, Old Bridge and Sarreville all have taken this bold step. The City of New Brunswick put a stop on a data center plan after the community stood together to oppose the project, and we need to follow in their footsteps here in Congress. Americans across the country have expressed concern in opposition to the rampant construction of AI data centers, and Congress should take this political ground swell seriously with a data center moratorium. That's what we need. Even President Trump has realized he has a data center popularity problem, but instead of trying to drive real change, Trump asked big tech to sign a so-called " rate payer protection" pledge, with no enforcement. At a time when Americans are seeing their bills skyrocket, we need action, not toothless promises from big tech. Last week's action by Ferk to craft rules of the road may have some promise, but it's gonna take months if not years to come to fruition. And Americans need help now, not in two years. Democrats have been clear. Families around the country should not see their power bills rise by a single cent because of data centers. Real families are suffering real harm because the pace of this build-out. Unfortunately, I don't think Republicans believe that. Just a few weeks ago, committee Republicans initiated an investigation insisting that China is somehow the reason that Americans oppose an unlimited build-out of data centers. Well, that's not the case. In fact, when I go home in New Jersey, I talk to constituents who are concerned about data centers. These are real people with real worries, not paid Chinese actors or people unwittingly tricked by the Chinese Communist Party. It's simply not true. The committee has to take more aggressive action to ensure the data center developers are held accountable and that consumers aren't left holding the bill. And finally, I want to address pipeline safety. I have to uh I'll say more about it when we get to that on the mark-up, Mister Chairman, but I do want to thank Chairman Guthrie and Lada and their staff for working together constructively to find a bipartisan path forward. We're not quite ye- there yet, but we have momentum and I'm confident that we can eventually craft a product all of us can support. with regard to the pipeline safety bill. And so thank you, Mister Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Well, thank you very much, gentlemen. He was back to balance his time and the chair reminds members that pursuing the committee rules all members' opening statements will be made part of the record. Are there any further opening statements? Hearing none. The chair calls up HR nine three three two and asks the clerk to report.

hr ninety three thirty two a bill to require the federal energy regulatory commission

without objection the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered does any member seek to be recognized on the bill and for what purpose did the gentleman from ohio's fourth district seek recognition gentleman is recognized to uh for five minutes to speak on the bill

thank you mr. chairman Uh, and thank you for holding this mark up today, including uh my bill HR thirty ninety-three thirty-two, the load forecasting and Hackman Act enhancement act. I apologize. I'd also like to thank my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman Nindes, for working with me on this legislation and co-leading the bill with me. Our electric grid has entered a period of unprecedented change. Advanced manufacturing, increased electrification, and the surge of AI data centers have created a historic increase and electricity demand. We've seen this firsthand in Ohio's twelfth congressional district, which has forty-one data centers in operation or being built, the most in the state. My constituents are seeing these data centers being built in their neighborhoods and are rightfully concerned about what this rapid growth means for their families and their communities. Congress must do more to help get new generation built quickly to power this growth and insure large loads, customers, and not our constituent are the ones paying for this upgrades and new cost. At the very least, we can insure that grid operators, states, utilities, and power providers are accurately planning for this growth to keep the grid reliable and protecting our constituents. This bill is a great step to insuring states and utilities are using the best tools available to measure the load growth so that they can appropriately planned for the new generation and transmission. Accurate load forecasting prevents the underbuilding of electric infrastructure and generation that is critical to maintaining grid reliability. And just as importantly, this bill will help prevent the overbuilding of unnecessary electric infrastructure for speculative projects that can end up hurting repairs. The Load Forecasting Enhancement Act establishes regional joint boards to bring state utility regulators and fur commissioners together to examine, identify, and report to Congress the best practices that improve the accuracy, transparency, and accountability of projects of new electric load. The bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act to require each state to consider incorporating the recommendations that lead to better load forecasting. Just this week, one of the Department of Energy's Nash- National Labs released a report showing data centers could double their share of U. S. power and account for ten to fifteen percent of our electricity use by twenty-thirty. Given this uncertainty with projected demand, utilities and states need better tools to distinguish between speculative demand projects, projections, and projects that have demonstrated a genuine commitment to move forward. Better forecasting means better planning, and better planning means a more reliable grid and more responsive investment decisions. I urge my colleagues and the subcommittee to support this bill, and I yield back, Mister Chairman.

Well, thank you very much. The gentleman yields back, the chair uh recogni- uh for what purpose, gentlemen uh from uh Brutwish do be recognized.

I move to strike the last word and speak in support of the bill.

Uh, the uh the gentleman from New Jersey's eighth district is recognized for five minutes to strike the last word.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. I'm glad the committee is holding today's mark up to consider bills that are a vital first step toward addressing challenges to our grid brought on by the growth of AI data centers and I'm proud to partner with Congressman Balderson on HR nine

I agree.

three three two the load forecasting enhancement act load forecasting is a key piece to ensuring there's enough energy supply to meet our future energy demands and would help utilities and states with their long-term planning. This bill would push state utility commissions and investor owned utilities to adopt best practices forecasting demand including large loads such as ai data centers. And in turn, make sure that we have an accurate idea of how much energy we'll need years down the line. Accurate data and better load forecasting practices will help us make sure that the planning we're doing today matches the demands of tomorrow. Improving load forecasting will help prevent blackouts and brownouts and make sure our constituents don't experience sudden and avoidable spikes to their energy bills. so while i'm happy to see the committee taking steps in the right directions i want to acknowledge that we should be using every tool in the toolbox to protect americans from blackouts and rising energy costs and we also need to make sure the tech companies that are developing ai data centers are held accountable for the economic environmental and health impacts they have on our communities one way that we can do this is by having more transparency into data centers energy use and the

Thank you. The gentleman yields back the balance of this time. Is there any further discussion on the bill? For what purpose does the gentleman from new york's twentieth district seat recognition

mr. chair i move to strike the last word

the gentleman is recognized for five minutes

thank you mr. chair

and will speak on the bill

i um appreciate the committee's recognition that we are experiencing significant but uncertain electricity demand growth current load forecasting methods lack transparency and can vary significantly across regions and utilities this bill takes a good step towards addressing these challenges regional coordination to harmonize best methods and a consistent framework for forecasting large, fast-moving and uncertain loads is a critical step to meeting this new demand in ways that maintain affordability and reliability for all rate payers. But I want to ex- again express my view that DOE can and should also play an important role. I don't think I'm alone in this view. At our budget hearing earlier this year, Secretary Wright agreed that DOE's role in load forecasting is a major focus. of this administration. DOE has tremendous analytical and modeling capabilities, and do more to provide technical assistance to grid operators, to the states and utilities, better and as a better plan for increasing energy demand. This includes utilities, such as public power entities and rural co-ops that may be responsible for load forecasting but do not typically work with FERC. Technical assistance from DOE national labs can go a long way in helping smaller co-ops and municipal utilities that may not have the capacity or capability to model load growth at the scale that larger utilities can. So, Mister Chair, I hope you and ranking member Pallone would be open to working with me as this bill moves to a full committee mark-up to ensure that we are explicitly recognizing the complementary capabilities of DOE and authorizing DOE's ability to provide technical assistance to support these load forecasting efforts. With that, Mister Chair, I yield back and thank you.

Well, thank you very much, gentlemen. He goes back to balance of his time. Are there any other members wishing to speak on the bill? Hearing none, are there any amendments on the bill? Saying none, the question now occurs on adopting H R ninety three thirty two. All those in favor will signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye. Those opposed nay. The ayes have it, and the bill is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair calls up H R ninety three thirty nine and asks the clerk to report.

H R ninety three thirty nine. A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to conduct an assessment on the use of

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be opened for amendment at any point so ordered. Does any member wish to s- be uh recognized on the bill? For what purpose is the General Lady from Tennessee's first

Mister Chairman, I I would like to speak on the bill.

The General Lady is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Uh, my bi bipartisan legislation with Representative Mullen, the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act, would direct the Department of Energy, FERC and NERC to analyze how high performance computing and AI can enhance our bulk power system, and assess what limitations may delay their adoption. As energy demand continues to grow at lightning pace, grid infrastructure needs to operate at peak efficiency and capacity. These emerging technologies have the potential to provide our grid operators with the tools to dramatically speed up the interconnection queue process, expediting timelines to bring new generation online. They can also enhance existing operations through predictive maintenance, identifying what assets need repairs, now before they fail. Many utilities and operators have begun integrating these technologies into their operations, but many are apprehensive and would like more information. This study will provide critical analysis of this new technology that will serve both policymakers and energy stakeholders in informing them how to better adapt to the next wave of energy demand. And with that, Mister Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and I yield back.

Well, thank you very much. The gentleman yields back. Are there other members wishing to be recognized on the bill? For what purpose does the gentleman from California's fifteenth district seek recognition?

I'm going to strike the last word, Minister Chair, in speaking in support of the bill.

The gentleman uh is recognized for five minutes. Speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank my colleague, Representative Harshbarger, for her leadership and for partnering with me to co-lead the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act. Our nation's power demands are surging and electricity rates are rising, so we must pursue every opportunity available to expand grid capacity and maximize efficiency. This bipartisan bill does that by directing the Department of Energy to study how artificial intelligence and high-performance computing can modernize our power system. I'm particularly interested in the potential for these advanced technologies to get new energy sources connected to the grid more quickly. Right now, generators face an average five year wait to achieve interconnection, and a significant portion of that delay is due to the complex engineering studies required to ensure grid reliability. But advanced tools are being developed right now that can accurately model the grid in a fraction of the time. In fact, a company in my district, Tapestry, is doing incredible work on this exact problem by replacing computationally intensive traditional modeling with AI simulations. uh we can radically compress uh these timelines. Last March, FERC Commissioner Rosner noted that an interconnection study that originally took two years was replicated by an advanced computing model in just ten days that kind of progress is astounding and by passing this bill, we can begin to increase efficiency, reduce barriers to adoption, and safely speed up energy deployment. I want to again thank Representative Harshbarger for her collaboration and leadership of this important effort and I yield back.

Thank you very much. The gentleman yields back. Are there other members wishing to be recognized on the bill? Hearing none, are there any amendments to the bill? Hearing none, the question now occurs on adopting H R ninety-three thirty-nine. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed nay. The ayes have it. The bill is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair calls up H R ninety three thirty five and asks the clerk to report.

H R ninety three thirty five. A bill to direct the secretary of energy to establish a clearinghouse for advanced transmission technology.

Without objection,

From the clerk.

the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does any member seek recognition on the bill? For what purpose does the gentleman from Texas's twelfth district seek recognition?

Thank you, Mister Chairman, I'm moved to strike the last word and speak in favor of the bill.

The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Grid congestion is a hidden tax on every American family and business. My bill, the Advanced Transition Technology to Reduce Rates Act, would bring those costs down by making our elected our electric grid smarter and more efficient without mandates without federal overreach and without waiting on Washington. As my home state of Texas continues to rapidly grow, more people and more businesses are demanding even more from the grid. And when the grid is congested, it drives up the cost of energy for utilities. My bill directly addresses that problem by expanding access to advanced transmission technologies, tools like advanced conductors and dynamic line ratings that move electricity more effectively, and reduce congestion on the grid. This is truly a common sense bill. It would create a public DOE database of information in on advanced transmission projects, provide voluntary technical support to utilities and state regulators, and direct DOE to develop voluntary best practices to reduce wildfire risks. Also, it exempts certain DOE grants and loans for these projects from NEPA review because states like Texas shouldn't have to wait on extremely long bureaucratic process. to modernize our grids. No new mandates, no top-down requirements, just better tools, streamlined approvals, and the kind of state-driven approach that has always worked best for Texas. I encourage and urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back.

Thank you very much. The gentleman yields back. For what purpose is the ranking member of the subcommittee the General Lady from Florida of Secret Recognition?

Move to strike the last word.

The General Lady is recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

On the bill.

Uh, while I n- strongly support the general thrust of Representative Goldman's bill promoting advanced transmission technologies or AT_T_s, I do wanna highlight my concerns with one provision. Uh, section two C of the bill creates a carve-out that exempts any Department of Energy funding for AT_T_s from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. For the last few years Congress has had a debate around the role of environmental review, including the question of how or if federal grants or financial assistance should be subject to NEPA. Uh, frankly, that question is better left to the broader permitting discussions that are underway right now I and I don't want it to poison uh what is going on or much uh much narrower discussion here about the role of AT_T_s. There's a lot I do like in this bill. I think the clearinghouse that the bill establishes at DOE would genuinely be very useful. The best practices for wildfire mitigation that it promotes could be a game changer, especially as climate change makes more and more of the country at risk for for wildfires. So while today's uh while today we we're gonna hammer out some bipartisan progress, I have to request that we save the NEPA debates for the broader permitting dis- conversation and let this bill be only about unlocking the potential of these advanced technologies. Thanks, and I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Is are is are there any other members wishing to be recognized to speak on the bill? Hearing none, are there any amendments on the bill? From Texas,

Mr. Chairman.

the gentleman from Texas, twelfth district seat recognition.

I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk will report.

Amendment to H R ninety-three thirty-five, offered by Mister Goldman of Texas, page six, beginning on line one, strike loan or grant.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentleman is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment which clarifies the NEPA exclusion for Department of Energy funding programs that support advanced transmission technologies. The amendment ensures that cooperative agreements are covered alongside loans and grants. So if the federal government gets out of the way unless utilities do the work to modernize their systems, this amendment strengthens the need for exclusion to make sure these innovative technologies can be deployed quickly in Texas and around the country. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment and yield back.

Thank you. The uh Jim yields back. Is there discussion, any further discussion on the amendment? Hearing none. Uh, for no further discussion, the vote occurs on the amendment, all those in favor shall signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed nay. The ayes have it, and the amendment is agreed to. Are there any further amendments to the bill? Hearing none. The question now occurs on adopting H R ninety-three thirty-five as amended, all those in favor of signifying by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed nay, the ayes have it, and the bill as uh amended is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair now calls up H R ninety three forty and asks the clerk to report.

H R ninety three forty, a bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of nineteen seventy eight to establish a federal standard for the

With without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? For what purpose does a gentleman from Colorado's eighth district seek recognition?

Move to strike last word, Mr. Chairman.

The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, and I of course wanna thank my partner, the ranking member, for her support of this bipartisan bill, HR ninety three forty, the Ratepayer Protection Act. This legislation is shaped by directly uh what I'm hearing from my constituents. families, farmers, small businesses who are concerned about the cost of living, especially as they see growth in electricity demand surge all around them. Two things can be true. Uh, the AI phenomenon, that toothpaste ain't going back into the tube. The only question is, do we lead in it or do we cede ground to the Chinese? And if you're concerned about AI, you need to be terrified about what happens if Communist China is leading in this space. Uh, and so we have to have the framework in place, not just for the nation and not just for national security, but in Colorado. We are a massive aerospace space. Uh, and in conversations, the growing technology in space and space development requires being able to crunch a lot of data and that ties back to data centers but the second thing is also true. These costs should not be borne by rate payers, and people wanna know how are we gonna pay for this? And that's what this bipartisan bill does. It sh- it says loud and clear that we cannot accelerate growth on the backs of Americans who are working hard to pay their electric bill at the end of every month. And the Ratepayer Protection Act requires each state regulatory authority to consider adopting a large load standard, one that applies to customers with one hundred megawatts or more of power demand, uh, at their peak at a single facility, so things like large data centers and hyperscalers, Because these are the customers that can single-handedly trigger the need for new generation, new substations, new transmission lines. And without these guardrails, those costs can get pushed on pushed on to everyone else. This bill stops that. The Ratepayer Protection Act rests on three common sense principles. First, large load customers should cover the full incremental cost of any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrades needed to serve their load. And if a data center needs a new high voltage line or a new generating station to meet that load, they are responsible for those costs, not businesses or families. Second, contracts should include meaningful financial assurances, up front and long term, to make sure that these large load demand entities have the money to be able to pay uh for this built-out infrastructure. Communities should not be left paying for infrastructure built by a single customer who later scales back or relocates. Third, this bill has flexibility. It says the what, but it leaves the how to the states. It does not impose a federal mandatory standard. Instead, it provides uh a thoughtful requirement for states to considerate consider how they connect these large loads. States know their grids, their industries, uh and all of these stakeholders need to engage together with their local counties and and local governments to decide what approach is best for them. This builds upon the success of the president's rate payer protection pledge, uh which is legisl- and this legislation represents that public-private commitment to ensuring a responsible economic growth and lower the cost for community members. Expanding the electric power system and adding more paying customers that actually can improve reliability strengthen the grid, reduce long-term costs and harden infrastructure against outages and surges in demands. When large load customers are picking up the tab for all of those things, communities actually see the benefits from that improved infrastructure. In my community and many others across the country, people are anxious about the pace of data center development. They're not opposed to innovation, they just want assurances that their monthly bills aren't gonna go up. And this bill is particularly important for states like Colorado, which have not yet set a standard for how large loads like data centers should be integrated into the grid. Colorado has debated data center related proposals, but without a framework and a nudge, families and businesses remain at risk for higher utility bills. The bipartisan Rate Protection Act gives states like Colorado a responsible policy foundation to work from and reassures community members, that they will be protected from price surges. This bill's bipartisan. It's common sense. It keeps energy costs low for Americans, and it helps us build partnerships that build and improve the reliability and the affordability of the energy backbone that we need to compete and win in the AI area and specifically in Colorado that we need to protect our massive aerospace economy I urge my colleagues to support the Ratepayer Protection Act and yield back.

Thank you very much. The gentleman yields back. time and the chair now recognizes the general lady from florida the ranking member of the subcommittee for five minutes

well thank you mister chairman i wanna thank representative evans too for being my partner on this bill on the rape hair protection act you know communities across the country are very nervous uh including communities back home in my home state of florida they are facing very complex technical decisions about how to cite or approve data centers They're hearing about the potential for jobs and increased tax revenue, but they're also concerned with how that's going to affect electricity rates for the folks they represent. Lot of hard-working families and small business owners. And those neighbors also are, when you've watched some of these debates, many are angry, many are anxious, others are scared. It goes into this context of higher inflation, a an affordability squeeze, and high cost of living, electricity. Bills are already sky-high. Uh, so we we have to act. That's why this is an important first step. This is also an opportunity uh for our country and for all of us, because I believe we can address the increased energy demand and help consumers lower cost uh by updating and modernizing America's electric grid. Most of the power grid across the United States, was built in the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies. It's reaching the end of its useful life. It's increasingly burdened by extreme events driven by the heating climate, uh, which means that we need to make significant investments in our grid. And this is the United States of America. This is home to innovation. And we have all sorts of new technological tools at our disposal to help address this, um, with the right guardrails. And that's why this is a very fundamental early guardrail to protect the folks we represent back home to make sure they are not bearing the burden of higher electric bills and higher costs at this time. Um, we're already starting to see some of these innovations happen. A few examples. Uh, earlier this month Google announced it would fund a one hundred megawatt virtual power plant in PGM aggregating distributed energy resources from uh, customers across the Northeast. In Minnesota, Google is also funding a utility distributed procurement program which will dep- deploy batteries at customer sites across the state. Uh, this frees up the grid capacity while improving community resilience and helping unlock cleaner, cheaper energy. In Nevada, the Public Utilities Commission approved a clean transition tariff allowing large customers to pay a premium for power from emerging energy technologies like advanced geothermal. Uh, but here we are at this moment at this time. The Ratepayer Protection Act takes the first step to unlocking the opportunity for innovation but protecting consumers. It places the cost burden solely on the large load customers. Uh, so again I want to thank uh Representative Evans, Chairman Guthrie, Chairman Latta. I hope we can do more to ensure that these large loads are also served by cleaner, cheaper energy with battery storage. So I'm eager to continue advancing real bipartisan solutions. With the partnership of innovative companies and forward-looking regulators, we can use this opportunity to build an energy system that works for everyone, not just the special interests that want to buy their way through. Our neighbors back home are counting us. on us, so I encourage uh my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back my time.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Are there any other members wishing to be recognized? The gentleman from for which purposes the gentleman from Texas eleven six seek recognition?

To speak in favor of this bill.

The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, and uh I would like to speak in favor of the Ratepayer Protection Act, uh and I thank Mister Evans uh from Colorado for his leadership on it. Um, in West Texas where I represent, we're seeing tremendous interest uh in this subject, specifically in data center development. Um, and there's a lot of questions uh on this. We know that these facilities can bring jobs, they can bring investment, they can bring economic growth, but I think the questions are around them bringing uh i- imposing a burden of significant amounts of electricity and in in some cases new generation and transmission and distribution infrastructure that would be required to do that. The families and the farmers, ranchers and small businesses already connected to the grid should not be forced to subsidize those costs. And if large new load requires new infrastructure, the entities creating that demand should be paying for it. This bill helps ensure that, as we build the infrastructure needed to support AI and other emerging technologies. And we do so in a way that protects rate payers and keeps electricity affordable for the people who depend on it every day. We want America to lead the world in artificial intelligence, and that will require building more power. But winning the AI race cannot come at the expense of the people already paying their electric bills every month. Innovation and economic growth should lower cost and create opportunities for Americans not shift the bill onto hard-working rate payers. I think this bill gets it exactly right. It supports growth, it protects consumers, and helps ensure that existing rate payers are not left holding the bag for new large load development. And I'll just say I think that we as a committee, Energy and Commerce, Mister Chairman, need to be clear-eyed on the fact that the Chinese Communist Party has every incentive uh to be working through the information channels, working through misinformation channels, using social media outlets, non-factual outlets uh to sway the public opinion. And and and I think that's why a bill like this can push back on that, and we can we we can do all of these things that are required. We can keep um protection for our our communities, uh but we can also compete against China. So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this legislation and I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back, and the chair uh recognizes the gentleman from California's fiftieth district, for what purpose does the gentleman wish wish uh seek recognition?

Chair, I will just strike the last word.

Thank you. The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Speak on the bill.

Thank you. I want to commend uh Chair Guthrie and Lotta, as well as ranking members Polon and Castor for the bipartisan work that has gone into hearing today. Also want to thank Mister Evans for this bill in particular, his work on this, and also the staff of both sides for working together to get some agreement here. I think all of us come here trying to to get things um done and I know the staff um has a big role in that, so I want to thank you for working in getting s- getting us some good products. At nearly every hearing this year, I have talked about the significant growth in energy demand every region in the United States is facing. And even though that growth is very exciting, it comes with real challenges, and these bills are attempting to deal with that. Americans are feeling the strain of these challenges on their wallets. Electricity prices are eight percent higher today than they were a year ago. Some projections show right residential utility rates climbing as much as eighteen percent in the coming years. I've also been saying at nearly every hearing that this this Congress that this committee is wasting time debating old Biden era policies or talking about cutting regulations for snowmobiles. Today we're not doing that, I'm grateful. These bills are a welcome change, um, and we are still but we are still on track to lose our competitive edge to nations like China. We don't build on today's bipartisan work. In the twenty twenties, China has completed more than eighty-two hundred miles of high voltage, long range, transmission lines, eighty two hundred, while the United States has built only three hundred seventy-five. European utilities are also rapidly increasing the minimum transfer capacity uh between countries to move power back and forth. Over a hundred twenty-five thousand miles of advanced conductors, which i- can help us get the most out of the grid, have been installed in India, Europe and China. The US has installed less than ten percent of that. The North American Reliability Corporation, who is responsible for reliability in these assessments has told us that the country needs thirty-five gigawatts of inter-regional transfer capa- uh capacity just to keep the lights on. If our North Star is getting more generation on the grid, reducing rates, and making the grid more resilient, we have to direct FERC to act on a r- inter-regional transmission planning rule. This rulemaking will show regions how we can get to those thirty-five gigawatts without prescribing any outcomes or forcing anyone to build anything in particular. Right now, without meaningful action on planning, we're spending over twenty-five billion dollars on transmission to distribution at an all-time high, but ninety percent of that is local reliability upgrades and the replacement of old equipment. The spending on inefficient solutions crowds out more efficient projects, like inter-regional transmission, and drives up rates without meaningful new transmission capacity that would lower rates and improve reliability. These projects receive limited scrutiny, they're not transparent, And they fall in the regulatory gap between States and FERC, driving up costs for everyone. We need planning so we can evaluate lower cost, more efficient, and larger scale alternatives that give consumers much more bang for their buck. Studies have found that for every one dollar invested in larger scale inter-regional lines, consumers receive nearly five dollars in benefits. I will support the bills we are considering today because they are bipartisan, common sense, and a down a down payment on real reforms. And I look forward to working with my colleagues to strengthen these bills, add some more, and ensure we're meeting the current moment. Thank you and I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The uh chair recognizes the at-large member, the General Lady from North Dakota. It's what person's General Lady? Seek recognition.

Mister Chairman, I seek to strike the last word.

The General Lady is recognized for five minutes. Speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, first I wanna thank my friends, uh, Gabe Evans and Cathy Caster for their bipartisan work on this, uh, Repair Protection Act. This legislation is an important step towards protecting American families from increased electricity cots costs and making sure we get cost allocation right. At its core, this issue comes down to a very simple principle, those who cause costs. should pay for those costs on our transmission grid and our energy systems. For decades, regulators, utilities, and consumer advocates have generally agreed on this principle. If a customer or a class of customers creates a need for new infrastructure, the costs associated with serving that demand should be borne by those customers and those who benefited from it, not shifted onto everybody else. That principle is especially important today as we see unprecedented growth in large loads across our country. America needs more power. We wanna build things again. We want manufacturing, innovation, artificial intelligence, and economic growth. But we must pursue that growth in a way that protects families and small businesses from subsidizing infrastructure built primarily to serve others. Earlier this year, our subcommittee held a hearing on this topic. I asked every witness a simple question, is it fair for American families to pay for infrastructure upgrades driven by large energy users? Every witness answered the same way, no. I then asked whether large loads, including data centers, have demonstrated a willingness to pay for the infrastructure needed to serve their demand. Again, every witness agreed, yes. And that's a very important point.

So, oh yeah.

The conversation is often framed as a choice between economic growth and affordable electricity. In reality, we can and must have both if we get the cost allocation right. In my home state of North Dakota, we've worked carefully to structure rates for customers and large load customers, so they cover the costs they create. When done correctly, new load can actually strengthen the system, improve asset utilization, and help lower costs for existing customers rather than increase them. In my state we've saved customers thirty million dollars. But that only works when we maintain the principle that cost causers pay. And this is a different take on beneficiaries' pay, which has been the standard, focusing on cost causers first, more granularly assigns the costs on our system. Families should not be asked to subsidize infrastructure built to serve some of the largest and most sophisticated companies in the world. Likewise, businesses making major investments deserve transparency and certainty about the costs that they will bear. Getting cost allocation right protects hard-working Americans, supports economic development, and helps build the infrastructure needed to meet growing demand. That is why the Ratepayer Protection Act is such an important step forward, and I appreciate the committee's bipartisan work to advance it. It's a great step, but we also have more work to guide and direct cost allocation, to protect ratepayers, and promote affordability. We have more work to do, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the committee staff in that end. Mister Chairman, thank you and I yield back.

Thank you. The general lady yields back. Are there other members wishing be recognized in the bill? For what purpose is the general lady from Washington's eighth district seek recognition?

Mister Chairman, I s moved to strike the last word.

So it's interesting.

The general lady is recognized. Five minutes speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. AI brings both tremendous opportunity and risk. A data center center build-out is a big concern for Washington State and we're hearing that same concern all across the country. ai development uh continues to accelerate and people are worried they're worried about what ai might mean for their jobs and for their privacy and for their kids education and for society and they are worried also about the tremendous energy demand of data centers and what it'll mean for their utility bills uh and whether they can keep the lights on uh compared to last year we're paying nearly fifteen percent more on our utility bills in the eighth district and the experts tell me that by twenty twenty eight the Northwest's energy supply may not always be capable of meeting demand. And that's due to multiple things, changing climate, the Trump administration's cuts to investments in clean and affordable energy, sluggish building, uh from from permitting and red tape, skyrocketing growth of data center energy use, um and frankly, I and I've talked about it in this committee before, holding hostage a a decommissioned coal plant uh this is being done by the administration uh that was being converted to run on uh liquid natural gas and while these companies uh ai companies tech reap tremendous benefits from advancing ai using our data and our power hardworking families who are already being hit with rising energy prices they can't be left in the dark with unpredictable energy supply and stuck with the bill and if big companies uh want the energy they're just gonna have to reach into their pockets and fund it and build it and connect it to the grid if that is what is needed so i wanna thank representative evans and representative castor for introducing this bill i am proud to support the rate hair protection act and i yield back

thank you the general lady yields back the balance of her time are there other members wishing to seek recognition for what purpose does the general lady from california seventh district seek recognition

uh move to strike the last word mr.

the general lady has recognized five minutes speak on the bill

thank you very much i move to strike the last word and speak in support of this of this bill i'm glad we're holding this markup i support this legislation because it's a no brainer american families should not be paying for tech companies utility bills the baseline protections set in this bill are a good starting point but to be frank this is really the bare minimum We could and we should be doing so much more to bring down Americans' utility costs. We're in the middle of an energy crisis, and everyone who opens an energy bill every month knows it. Democrats know the electric grid needed major upgrades to meet growing demand. That's why Democrats invested billions of dollars in building the next generation of clean energy infrastructure when we were in control. And for years we warned that failing to make those investments would drive electric electricity costs even higher. Republicans ignored those warnings. As a result, the cost of electricity has gone up eighteen percent since Mister Trump took office. Instead of lowering costs, Republicans and President Trump have spent the last two years moving in the wrong direction, repealing clean energy programs that saved Americans' money, cancelling hundreds of grants for critical energy infrastructure, and blocking hundreds of solar and wind projects across the country. It's ridiculous, and American families are paying for it. So I'm glad we're holding this mark-up, but let's not pretend like this is going to solve the problem. It is only a good first start. I urge my colleagues to talk to their constituents. It's time to put aside the partisan nonsense and get serious about lowering electricity costs. And with that I yield back, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. The general lady yields back to balance her time. Are there other members seeking recognition on the bill? What purpose does the general lady from Virginia's fourth district seek recognition?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, move to strike at the last minute.

The general lady has recognized five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you. If any of you um have watched local news while you have uh been here uh during vote weeks, uh you have seen that data centers and their impacts on communities and on consumers um has been in the news quite a bit in Virginia where it should be no surprise as we are the data center capital of the globe

Mm-hmm.

and we have really been grappling uh as a commonwealth in particular uh with how to balance the need to meet our energy demands in an increasingly digital world where US households have on average twenty-one devices that are connected to the internet. And if you think that's crazy, my husband and I counted, and when you count your Alexa, if your kids have a Switch, phones, devices, your smart TV, your alarm systems that you can remotely monitor, it, you get to twenty-one pretty fast. And that was before the AI revolution uh jump-started the need for data centers uh and and for the electricity, and I would add water, that they consume and the worry of constituents that they are bearing the brunt of that cost. I during the recess period, you know my district is rural, urban, and suburban, and everywhere I went during the uh district work period when asked about my work on the energy and commerce committee the first question I get is tell us about these data centers and what you all are doing about them and how you're gonna make sure that in a time when we already can't pay we're struggling to pay our electric bills and electric uh bills have risen uh as much as thirteen percent nationwide since last year um they're looking for us to strike that balance and these bills are are really a good starting point and In Virginia, our state corporation commission, our state regulatory body, improved in November the creation of a new rate class for data centers, uh, and similar big users of electricity, um, to try to begin to grapple with that. But whether your state begins to develop such a rate shouldn't dep- you know, that whether you're you are bearing the brunt of the load and paying for the load of data centers shouldn't depend on which state you're in. And that's why this bill is so important, um, but we need to make sure they don't just consider establishing a new rate class, um, but that they actually do it. And as we are working through these bills, which are an incredibly important first step, there's one stakeholder we haven't talked about yet that needs to be h- have a seat at the table, and that's the local governments that are under pressure to meet their own revenue needs and are being courted very heavily by these data centers. Some, and some in my district find themselves in this position, are so desperate for the economic development that can come from a data center that they're not part of the equation on what's the load gonna be, not just in this community, but for the rest of the state and for the region. So as we go forward with this bill these bills, which are an incredibly important first step, let's make sure we take the next step and bring all the stakeholders to the table, and ensure that whether you are in Virginia or Colorado or South Dakota or North Dakota, that you all are sure that this body is making sure you're not paying the price and bearing the burden for the AI needs of big business. And with that, I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Are there any other members? For what purpose is the gentleman from New York's twentieth district seek recognition?

Mister Chair, I move to uh strike the last word.

The gentleman's recognized five minutes speak on the bill.

Thank you. I appreciate the committee for taking up this bill, including Ranking Member Castor's leadership. We should be doing whatever necessary to protect residential repairs from undue system costs. imposed by large loads especially data centers and crypto mining facilities. A PURPA uh uh one eleven D amendment is a good first step, but I do not think we should stop there. If we really want to ensure our constituents stop being burdened by rising utility bills we should be getting at other root causes of energy affordability. So I do hope this is just the first step of several that we can advance to truly protect rate payers. bill defines large loads as greater than one hundred megawatts and captures more than just data centers which may undercut manufacturer's competitiveness. I fully acknowledge that, well, where wherever we draw the megawatt threshold for large loads, it will be somewhat arbitrary. But I believe it would be more appropriate to pick a threshold that reflects the consensus already emerging at the state and RTO levels. And that number is fifty megawatts. This would align with the definition adopted by the PGM board of managers in January. Even fifty megawatts is a lot of power. It would be more than enough to power every home in my hometown many times over. That's surely large enough to impose costs on residential rate payers, and I think it is worth us having a closer examination of this definition moving forward. You know, we focused a lot today in the discussion of the on the uh mark-up of data centers and their impact. But uh it goes well beyond, I believe, the uh el electric utility bill uh sticker shock. We're talking about water impact, we're talking about quality of water, water supplies that are threatened, we're talking about um soil contamination, we can talk about air pollution. There are a lot of aspects to this whole effort. And um to you know Miss McClellan's comments, you know we need to look at the whole picture. and all of the impacts and come together with a uh comprehensive plan that will best serve uh consumers out there and the general public per se. So with that, Mr. Chair, I thank you and yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Are there any other members wishing to be recognized on the bill? Are there any amendments on the bill? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting H R nine three four zero. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. Aye.

Aye.

Those opposed nay. The ayes have it. The bill is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair calls up H R sixty six thirty three and asks the clerk to report.

Okay, we can get to the next. H R sixty six thirty three. Next question, Dale. A bill to establish the best available transmission conductor standard for certain transmission units.

Without objection the first reading of the bill is and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Is there any members seeking recognition on the bill? For what purpose does the gentlelady, the at-large member from North Dakota seek recognition?

Mister Chairman, I have an amendment in the nature of substitute to HR six six three three.

Well

Is there a uh specific number on it? Yes, your amendment. Do you, does the clerk have it?

I do.

Okay. The clerk will report.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR sixty six thirty three, offered by Mrs. Fedorchuk of North Dakota.

Without objection,

Strike off.

the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the general lady is recognized for five minutes of support of her amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, ranking member and members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on my legislation, the high capacity grid act. And I wanna thank the committee staff for their work to include this bill in today's mark-ups. This legislation addresses one of the biggest challenges facing our electric grid, and one of the biggest drivers of rising electricity costs for American families, and that is transmission, electric transmission. When people think about rising utility bills, they often focus on the cost of generating electricity. But the reality is that transmission costs are the fastest growing component of electric bills. According to a brattle and energy information administration study, transmission costs have increased more than a hundred and eighty percent since two thousand five even as generation costs have declined. At the same time, electricity demand is growing rapidly, new manufacturing, data centers, electrification and population growth are placing unprecedented demands on our aging grid. Yet permitting and construction constructing new transmission lines can take years. Often more than a decade from concept to completion. Hopefully we'll fix that with permitting reform. But meanwhile, we cannot permit and build our way out of this challenge fast enough, even with permitting reform. It just won't be fast enough. So we need to get more capacity out of the infrastructure we already have. The good news is there's a lot of ways to do that. And that's exactly what the High Capacity Grid Act does. First, it requires utilities building new interstate transmission lines or rebuilding existing ones, to use the best commercially and economically available transmission conductors whenever practical. Second, it helps maximize the capacity of every transmission corridor by incentivizing advanced conductor technologies. Technology that can often carry significantly more electricity than traditional wires, on the same structures and right-aways. And third, it protects families from paying for outdated technology by creating the precedent that utilities cannot pass the cost of lower-performing conductors on to rate payers unless they can clearly demonstrate that those conductors are the best option for a specific project. This is a common sense approach. Advanced conductors can dramatically increase the amount of electricity delivered over existing corridors, while improving efficiency, safety, and reliability. In many cases, they allow us to double capacity without acquiring new rights away or waiting years for new permits. That's good for reliability, it's good for affordability, and it's good for hard-working families who are ultimately paying the bill. The High Capacity Grid Act is about modernizing our grid with today's technology, maximizing existing infrastructure, and delivering more power at a lower cost. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and I yield back.

Thank you. The general lady yields back to balance her time and the chair recognizes for what purposes, the general lady from California seek recognition.

Uh, Mister Chairman, I move the strike to last word.

The general lady is recognized for five minutes strike the last word.

Thank you. I move the strike to last word and speak in support of this amendment. Advanced conductors play an important role in lowering electricity bills. By allowing power lines to carry more electricity, advanced conductors can effectively increase the capacity of the grid for far less money than it takes to build a new power line or a new power plant. That saves money. And ultimately that means lower electricity bills for American families. It's one of the many small solutions that will help move the needle in the right direction. So I wanna thank Congressman Fedorchak for leading on this important bill. And I wanna thank the committee staff for working with my office on this bill. I believe the legislation has moved in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Fedorchak and the committee to improve this bill. And thank you and I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back, the balance of her time. Are there any other members wishing uh to be recognized on the amendment? Hearing none, uh f- without further discussion, the vote occurs on the amendment. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye.

Aye. Aye.

Aye. All those opposed, nay. The ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. Are there any further amendments on the bill? Hearing none, the question now occurs on adopting H R sixty-six thirty-three as amended All those who will signify by saying aye, in favor?

Aye. Aye.

Aye. Those opposed nay. The ayes have it. The bill as amended amended is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair calls up HR six five two nine and asks the clerk to report.

HR sixty five twenty nine. a bill to require the federal energy regulatory commission to hold a technical conference on protecting residential repairs from increased costs associated with large loads

with without objection the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the so we have votes to vote on

so

ok bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered does any member seek recognition on the bill votes What for what purpose is the the ranking member of the subcommittee of the general agency for recognition?

Say of an amendment at the desk labeled ANS underscore HR six five two nine underscore O one.

The clerk will report the amendment.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR sixty five twenty nine, offered by Miss Castro of Florida. Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the General Leader is recognized five minute for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, and I also want to thank our colleague, uh, Representative Landsman for drafting this bill. It requires FERC to hold a technical conference on ways to protect American families and small businesses from increased costs associated with data centers, essentially pushing FERC to have its own version of the legislative hearing that we held back in April on these issues. While FERC took a step towards establishing rules of the road to connect data centers to the power grid last week, all of the commissioners readily admitted that they are still seeking more information. Uh, so a technical conference would complement the orders FERC issued last week and help ensure that each commissioner has imp who has they have important perspectives, as they evaluate proposals from grid operators over the coming months. I wanna thank you uh, Mister Chairman and Chairman Guthrie and all of the professional staff for working together to find a version of this bill that could help, that everyone could support. This amendment reflects those conversations and helps sharpen the bill's approach ensuring that FERC focuses on matters directly within its control and not under state jurisdiction. I'm grateful for the cooperation here and I urge all of our colleagues to support both the amendment and the underlying bill. I yield back.

Well, thank you very much. The general any yields back. Are there any other members wishing to be recognized on the amendment? Hearing none. There's no further discussion. The vote will occur on the amendment. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye. Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed nay. The ayes have it, and the amendment is agreed to. Are there further amendments on the bill? Hearing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR sixty five twenty nine as amended. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed nay. The ayes have it and the bill is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair calls up HR twenty nine eighty six and asks the clerk to report.

hr twenty nine eighty six bill to require the federal energy regulatory commission to promulgate regulations and accelerate

with objection to the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered are there any members wishing to be recognized on the bill

i'm an amendment at the desk

well uh we'll go right uh uh uh is are there any amendments

I have an amendment at the desk labeled ANS twenty nine eighty six underscore O one.

The clerk will report the amendment.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR twenty nine eighty six, offered by Miss Castro of Florida. Strike all life in the nation.

Well, without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the General Lady is recognized for five minutes in support of her amendment.

Well, thank you, Mister Chairman. Uh, colleagues all across the United States, there are new energy projects that are stalled. Uh, they're waiting in long lines to interconnect to the grid. This amendment would make changes to my Expediting Generator Interconnection Procedures Act, which directs FERC to make common sense updates to speed up the interconnection process. This is low hanging fruit. It r- it will reform the outdated and sluggish interconnection process will give i- grid operators more flexibility and promote the use of proven tools like automation. Uh, the amendment makes several uh key changes to the bill. First, it directs FERC to immediately initiate a show cause proceeding for each transmission provider similar to the show cause proceedings they initiated last week for connecting data centers to the grid this proceeding shall find that delays beyond fifteen months for a generator interconnection agreement are unjust unreasonable and unfair unduly discriminatory within a year of the proceeding, FERC must make a final on the generation interconnection procedures for each transmission provider. If transmission providers fail to meet this fifteen month standard, FERC shall intervene to fix those processes. Further, this bill would direct FERC and the Department of Energy to study the best practices for generator interconnection queue management, including lessons that can be applied to regions without an organized wholesale electricity market. This bill builds on the bipartisan work already is doing, including their recent efforts to accelerate large load interconnection. We should celebrate the innovation that this bill uh provides. Um, the it would encourage among we should celebrate the innovation that this bill would encourage among grid operators. For example, we saw in MISO last year, uh, they instituted an automated process that was able to nearly replicate, in ten days, the result of an interconnection study. that took nearly two years to conduct. Uh, we've discussed this and heard from witnesses in this committee and everyone was enthusiastic about that, how they were speeding up interconnection. So we should all be able to appreciate this type of common sense progress. I hope my GOP colleagues will continue to work with us to advance this important legislation helping to bring more reliable energy onto the grid, to power the American economy, and lower costs for our neighbors back home. And I want them to know that my team and I stand ready to work in a bipartisan way, to find a path forward that works for everyone on both sides of the aisle, to speed up the process of building power plants and connecting them to the grid. Thank you so much, and I yield back.

Uh, thank you, the General, I yield back the balance for your time and the share recognizes himself for five minutes to speak on the amendment. Again, I wanna thank the Gen- the the ranking member from Florida's fourteenth district for her amendment. to the expediting generator interconnection procedures act. This amendment revises the approach in the underlying bill to provide an an an overarching policy. Interconnection timelines should not extend before beyond fifteen months. The bill provides discretion for how each region may address their own interconnection procedures, respecting the unique differences and need for a bottom-up approach to more effective electricity policy. Every member here recognizes the urgency behind interconnecting the right resources quickly to address our ongoing reliability crisis and affirm US leadership in the next generation economy. Having said that, uh, this legislation needs more process to better understand its potential impact and it may need revisions as we conduct that due diligence. While we may not fully support this legislation in its current form, we're willing to continue working with the general lady and our democratic colleagues on it to see if we can find a bipartisan compromise. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues support the amendment and I yield back. Are there any other members seeking recognition on the amendment? Hearing none. All those in favor of the the amendments, I signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye. All those opposed, nay. Hear and hearing none, the the amendment is agreed to. Are there any other amendments on the bill? Hearing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR twenty nine eighty six as adopted, as amended, excuse me. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye. Those opposed nay. The ayes have it. The bill is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. The chair calls up HR ninety-three thirty eight and asks the clerk to report.

HR ninety-three thirty eight. A bill to amend title forty nine United States code to improve the safety of pipeline transportation and.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Is there any member wishing to see recognition on the bill for what purpose does the vice chairman of the subcommittee seek recognition

uh uh to speak on the bill i'll uh request speak on that bill

the gentleman is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. I'm proud to lead HR ninety three thirty eight, the Pipeline Safety Reauthorization Act of twenty twenty six, to reauthorize the Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration, PHMSA, Office of Pipeline Safety for the next five years. The bill before us today reflects several updates from the discussion draft, this subcommittee reviewed in March of this year. Those changes are the result of ongoing conservation conversations with my colleagues, as we work toward a strong, bipartisan, bipartisan final product. Throughout this process, we have worked closely with stakeholders across the industry and within the government to develop and refine this legislation, and I look forward to continuing that collaboration as H. R. ninety-three thirty advances to the full committee. This bill for provides PHMSA with the resources and direction necessary to continue safeguarding more than three million miles of pipeline infrastructure across these great United States. Excuse me. From ensuring that PHMSA's cost-benefit analysis remains focused on safety factors within the United States to promoting best practices across state damage prevention programs, HR ninety-three thirty-eight helps strengthen pipeline safety across the board. Americans deserve nothing less in our continued effort to move the needle closer and closer to one hundred percent safety. And this legislation helps do exactly that. Our nation's pipeline infrastructure operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to safely devel- deliver the reliable and affordable energy that powers American homes American businesses and American industries, while supporting our allies across the world. Now, few regions in the country can rival the pipeline infrastructure that we have along the Texas Gulf Coast. Every day, those pipelines help produce, refine, process, and export the energy that powers America and again supports our allies abroad. In my part of the country, we understand that pipeline infrastructure is often the foundation upon which everything else is built. Without it, Americans would pay more to heat their homes, fill their gas tanks, power their businesses, and keep everyday goods on the store shelves. Texas's fourteenth district produces and moves more energy than just about any other district in these United States of America. Few places better illustrate the important role pipeline infrastructure plays in our lives. Whether the energy originates in the Permian Basin or from our neighbors to the north in Alberta, Canada, producing it is only half of the battle. American energy dominance depends on our ability to deliver that energy safely and reliability to the people, those businesses and those industries that depend on this every single day.

Well, thank you very much. The gentleman yields back, and the for what purpose is the gentleman from New Jersey seek recognition?

Let me ask a word, Mr. Chairman.

The gentleman is recognized for five minutes speak on the bill.

Thank you. I just wanna take this opportunity to comment on the status of our pipeline safety negotiations, and remind everyone that a Back in March, the subcommittee held a hearing on a draft bill that every democrat on this committee felt missed the mark. Since then, we have been engaged in negotiations with the majority to try to find a bipartisan path forward. But I want to remind everyone what our disagreements were about. We were concerned that the bill didn't authorize adequate funding for the pipeline and hazardous material safety administration or or PHMSA, We were also concerned that the bill did not authorize a vital grant program funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law that has helped countless municipal utilities make their pipeline system safer. Among other issues, the bill also attempted to criminalize some protected activities under the first amendment and did nothing to strengthen penalties against pipeline operators who flout the law the point on criminal penalties is especially relevant mister chairman republicans need to know that democrats cannot in good conscience. to the ambiguous language that is currently in the bill granting the department of justice far too much leeway in determining what counts as interfering with the operation of a pipeline. Just in the last week we have seen americans get uh arrested on the national mall for examining the reflecting pool now that the president has ruined it. And that's unacceptable. And we will not agree to anything that risks persecuting americans for exercising their first amendment rights. My colleague from New York has an amendment that would help on this point and I urge members to support it. But I don't think any final product will be perfect, I understand that, few bills are. Hopefully we can get to a place where our members all feel comfortable and then we can continue discussions with our colleagues on the Transportation Infrastructure Committee while examining the bill that the Senate passed in April otherwise, for the second Congress in a row, Republicans on this committee will have failed to do the necessary work. So with that, Mister Chairman, I yield back.

Mister Chair.

Uh, for what purpose is the uh Chairman uh of the full committee seek for recognition?

Thanks, m- thanks, Mister Chair, uh, I appreciate the recognition and and I appreciate the comments from

Is is it is it, is it, is it, is it, is it recognized? Five minutes?

Okay, I'm sorry, uh, thank you Mister Chairman for the time and I appreciate the comments from my friend the ranking member know my friend from New York has, has an amendment and and so if if somebody physically breaks or attacks or something in a protest, uh, a pipeline, that's a criminal act, we know that. So that that's damage, it's it's it's um The second thing that people can do, they can do other so we're trying to address like they can turn the pipeline off or they can do other things in the pipeline, that isn't technically damage, but it damages the pipeline as they go forward. What we're not trying to do is interfere with the people's first amendment right to protest with this. I don't wanna criminalize people who are truly protesting and not trying to affect the operations of the pipeline. And so, uh, I know this is important to you, I know it's obviously important to our friends from New York, and we'd certainly be willing to work on language to clarify that it ha- that it needs to be physical um well damage isn't the right word because turning it off and affecting the pipeline isn't technically damaged we we want that to not be uh acceptable behavior but we absolutely don't wanna criminalize people exercising their First Amendment. So we'd be willing to work on language as we move forward on this, if you would like to do that. And uh offer that up and I will yield back.

Thank you very much. The gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion for what purposes the General Manager from Texas Seventh District seek recognition?

Uh, thank you, Mister Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

The General Manager is recognized by his last word. Five minutes.

Uh, thank you, Chairman Latta. Um, this bill is hugely important to the that I represent in Houston. I am of course Congressman Weber's neighbor, uh just a little bit to the west and um companies in Houston um and the people who work there um control more than fifty-eight percent of US natural gas pipeline capacity and thirty-three percent of US oil pipeline capacity. So I know that the people that I represent take pipeline safety incredibly seriously and they're people who dedicate their entire careers to making sure that pipelines operate safely and that we get the energy that we need moved where it needs to be across this country and around the world and you know, the professionals who work in this industry know that pipeline safety is paramount and the safety for our communities has to remain a priority as the demand for energy grows which we talk about on this subcommittee all the time and we need to be able to build the infrastructure to deliver it. Um, and so to that end, I think that the safety of this pipeline infrastructure really depends and has always depended on a working partnership between industry and government regulators, in this case, PHEMSA. And unfortunately, in the last year and a half, as we have seen across the Trump administration, the president's cuts and chaotic deregulatory push have left PHEMSA struggling to fulfill its statutory obligations and to do the work that we need PHMSA to do. We as citizens need it, we, the companies that are operating these pipelines need it, but since the beginning of this administration, more than half of PHMSA's le- senior leadership has departed, and several major rulemakings were abandoned in response to the President's memorandum on the regulatory freeze pending review. I'm also hearing from folks in the energy industry um that PHMSA just lacks the resources for proper training and isn't prepared to meet the challenges of growing demand for pipelines to meet our energy needs and so I I too am happy with the progress that has been made and that's reflected um in this draft. As I said, this is hugely important for the people I represent to get this over the finish line I do believe there's more work to be done to make sure that PHMSA adequate resources now and in the future. Um, and I also agree with Chairman Pallone, um, that as important as it is, I agree with Chairman Guthrie to, I'm sorry, ranking member Pallone, Chairman Guthrie, I do, um, believe it's important to get this right. And I am concerned about language that would give too much discretion to the Department of Justice in this administration in interpreting, um, and challenging people in their right to protest. We've certainly seen their arresting people that are looking at the reflecting pool. Um, we take very seriously, uh, people's first amendment right to speak and to speak out about the things that matter in their lives. And so, um, I appreciate Chairman Guthrie, your statement about working together, and I really do think it's essential that we get this right, and that we write language that protects these pipelines and allows them to operate safely at all times without the dangerous interference that can be caused, while also protecting the rights of American citizens that frankly are being trampled in this administration. So, in addition to that, I just want to add, um, you know, we do need PHEMSA to be forward-looking to ensure pipeline safety innovation meets the challenges of tomorrow. And that's why in the last PHEMSA reauthorization, I worked on a technology pilot program. Um, that was in the twenty twenty bill. And that was back when I was on the TNI committee. But the technology demonstration program was designed to advance the latest high-tech inspection technologies and analytics that could be used to make pipelines safer and I would really like to see us be able to work that into this reauthorization. It was a bipartisan program, um, and it's included in the Senate PHMSA reauthorization, so I'm very hopeful that in addition to the work that we're doing to address the real concerns um that are laid out here that we can include that so that we can do everything we can to ensure that we can continue uh to operate and and build the pipelines that we need for the things that we want across this country in a way that is safe and consistent with the safety of our communities across the country so i thank you uh mister chairman for that and i yield back

Thank you, the general lady yields back the balance of her time are there any other members wishing to speak on the bill and

just wanna have a little

does this general lady wish to speak on the bill or have an

oh yeah just offer an amendment

ok are there any other members wishing to speak on the bill

no

are there any amendments on the bill

oh she she doesn't speak on the bill

i'm sorry i'm sorry no i'm sorry did you want what

both

is this general lady from california wish to speak on the bill I'm sorry. Uh, for what purpose does the General Lady w- from California Seventh District wish

Uh, Mister Chairman, I move to strike the last word and speak in opposition to this bill.

The General Lady uh is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you very much. I wanna make clear I do not support this bill in its current form. Pipeline safety is incredibly important. It's critical that we get this right. This bill, as currently written, does not meet this moment. and it does not serve the needs of my constituents. Under President Trump, the pipeline and hazardous materials administration has been gutted, and enforcement of pipeline safety has plummeted, endangering public health and threatening Americans' lives. In some cases, PHMSA has even been turned into a political weapon. In California, President Trump is using PHMSA to force the restart of offshore oil drilling, triumphing all over California's authority to protect our coasts and our communities from disastrous oil spills. This bill would allow PHMSA to ignore environmental impacts in regulating pipelines, and I am really concerned that it also might allow oil and gas companies to criminally prosecute protesters. So I cannot support this bill in its current form, and I hope the committee will continue to work on this legislation to improve it before the full committee mark-up. And thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Well, thank you very much. The general lady yields back. Are there any other members wishing to speak on the bill? Are there any amendments to the bill? For what purposes is the general lady from Te- New York's fourteenth district seek recognition?

Uh, to offer an amendment.

The general lady's uh has an amendment at the desk, I assume?

Yes. Um, it's OCSNY zero six zero.

The clerk will report the amendment.

Amendment to H R ninety three thirty eight, offered by Miss Ocasio-Cortez of New York, strike section six.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the general lady is recognized for five minutes in support of her amendment.

Thank you, uh, Mister Chairman. Um, in, when it comes to pipelines across, um, the United States, and I think, uh, the chairman of the full committee noted as well, Uh we want to make sure that we are protecting people's First Amendment uh right to protest. Under current law, the current law is that knowing and willfully damaging or destroying a pipeline carries up to twenty years in federal prison. That is existing and standing law. Um this bill and the language that this amendment seeks to strike expands that statute to cover anyone who quote impairs the operation of a pipeline." Now, the issue that we have here in the text is that impair is not defined. Um, it is a very expansive term that could easily encompass many different forms of protest, uh, nonviolent protest, and make them federal felonies. Um, many of these projects are highly controversial, in the local communities in which they are often proposed to be cited. Protest is very common in these kinds of developments, and we want to make sure that we are um, I think, protecting people's First Amendment ability um, while of course um, uh respecting existing federal law. So um, I hear the Chairman on having that flexibility and I really appreciate the flexibility in being able to draft that. I want to make sure that we're being as precise as possible in what we mean by that, uh, which is why I strike this amendment, um, to strike section six. Uh, and I urge my colleagues colleagues to support it as we negotiate to the full bill in committee. Thank you.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the Vice Chairman, uh, from Texas,

Vice Chairman, I move to strike the last five last words.

the, recognize The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Yeah, I'm gonna be, have to speak against the amendment because uh the lady rep represents section six of the bill section six of this bill actually insures that individuals who knowingly and willfully participate in activities like these are prosecuted under the full extent of the law well what do we mean by that they don't get to go on there and shut off all the valves and back up all the processes in a pipeline, because they wanna complain. They wanna go there in that land, they wanna go in that area, they wanna have They wanna do all those things. They have the right to do that. We don't wanna limit that right. But they can't do things that absolutely shut down the equipment and thereby introduce damage into that facility, because they're trying to move that product. They've gotta do it on a schedule. And if they can't move that product on a schedule, then everything will come to a screeching halt. And these people don't get the right to shut down the product. They can protest all they want, but there are there are penalties. for absolutely uh shutting down the equipment and producing a havoc, if you will, in that chemical plant. I I yield back.

Would the gentleman yield? Would he yield? Would the gentleman yield?

That's right, I yield.

I I agree that that is exactly what we're trying to to deal with. So uh twenty years of a of a felon is a is a big big sentence. And so that's what we wanna deal with. I agree that we need to take the word in pair and define it better to get to what you wanna deal with. I I don't wanna support the amendment, but I do want to commit that between now and full committee, we will come up with a uh taking somebody's freedom for twenty years is a big issue and we wanna make sure the legislature, if somebody doesn't use this somewhere later, not this administration, some in the future, well they impaired because they prevented somebody from going to work. They've impaired because and so we wanna make sure we get this right.

Good enough. You're the leader.

So, as I'm not supporting the amendment, I do support that we need to better define the word impaired.

You said it better than I could, that's why you're the chairman while I'm the vice chair. I yield back.

I I yield back to

the uh the gentleman here is back in balance with his time is there further discussion on the amendment the the uh general m new jersey the ranking member of the full committee is recognized as the high best speaker on the bill or on the amendment

thank you i would urge my colleagues to support the amendment um you know i i just want you to understand that um there's a lack of trust with the department of justice right now i mean i i i don't have i haven't spent you know, every day at the reflecting pool. But I mean, I think it's a good example where we have every reason to believe that people that just protested at the p- at the reflecting pool, didn't jump into the pool, didn't try to destroy the pool, didn't try to stop the water from flowing in the pool, were arrested. And so that's the concern here. In other words, I understand what uh Chairman Guthrie is saying, that and that in fact if someone tries to destroy the pipeline or shut off the valve you know that that's considered an offense but the fear is that if we don't have some much more precise language here and the gentlewoman from new york talked about impair you know that that that could easily be interpreted by the uh justice department to say oh you're close to the pipeline and i don't like the way you look and therefore i'm gonna arrest you so i i do think we should support this amendment uh but you know even if it doesn't pass uh let's work on this to make this clearer because is a lack of distrust in my opinion on our side as to what do j might do with this language that's in the bill so who did you want me to yield to to uh the rank oh to to mister yes gentleman from massachusetts

thank you i uh i'm gonna support the amendment i think the the language is too wide the trust in the administration is too low uh question cause i we all wanna protect speech and protest i agree with the vice chairman you you can't go in there and impair the the you can't turn off the valves you can't damage the production question for the vice chairman there are already are laws against damage and destruction there's already laws against trespass is my understanding as well wouldn't someone who's going in there and and physically contacting the pipeline, wouldn't that be trespass under current law? And I yield a

In that what what you're laying out, I would say yes. But there's also another I think what we ought to do is, and I was talking about this with our co- some of my colleagues. People can go and protest at the schoolhouse, but they don't have the right to block the doors and prevent people from getting in, kids and students from getting in. So there are certain possibilities here that they can be there. That doesn't mean that they have the right to turn off the valve as uh, as you pointed out. But they still have the right to be there in protest. That this bill in no way limits that whatsoever.

I th- I think what I'm asking though is,

Is the only thing.

is why is that language necessary? Because we, we have trespass, we have damage, destruction, can't do it. I would also presume that like you can't physically prevent workers from accessing the work site in a way that's harassment harassment as well like what what's the lacuna what's the gap here that we're trying to cover with this new language

well look the goal of this section is clear we recognize that there are still bipartisan negotiations going on to make sure we get the language right and we ensure that there are not unintended consequences impacting people's right to protest under the first amendment but uh I I think the amendment is not necessarily called for. We can continue to work on this as the chairman said. For that reason, I'm gonna be, you know, uh, ask our colleagues to vote against the amendment. I yield back.

Okay, I'll I'll yield back to the ranking member, I think is now who has the time.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Is anyone, Mark, who would you take? Yes, I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Uh, Mister Chairman, thank you very much, I I did wanna ask Chairman Guthrie.

um, you know, one of the areas that I think that people have concern within this country is lack of legislative oversight, and I believe the chairman when he says that uh, that he would not want anyone to be arrested for for exercising their first amendment rights. And I was just wondering from him if the administration did cross those boundaries where they did arrest someone for just exercising their first amendment rights, like the Judge Judy lady who is in charge here now. Would you would you work with would you would would the committee be willing to say it was not our intent when we passed this legislation for people to be arrested just for exercising their first amendment rights?

I'm sorry, I didn't I

I might go back.

don't want you have to repeat all that, but I didn't quite follow what you're asking. So you're saying is that

I'm saying that if the administration decided that they did want to um arrest someone just for exercising their first amendment rights with the committee be willing to say that was not our intent. We we intentionally did not want someone to be arrested just for doing that. Well, I don't want the Judge Judy lady to think that hey, or or or or Jeannie whatever whatever her name is, to think that she can uh enforce that and then this committee not say anything.

Well, so so I I don't want anybody arrested for the I think it made an eye on the side. I don't want anybody arrested for exercising their personal member rights. And so what I was agreeing with uh my, friend from New York is that can can some future administration, this administration, any use the word impair and say well and and broaden it out. And so the so to get to uh our friend from Massachusetts, so you can trespass and be arrested for trespassing. But if you turn a valve, let's say it builds pressure up and it damages somewhat later, that that's what we're trying to get at to be clear. And so in order to insure that somebody doesn't

You can clean it up.

I guess any administration, I can point to some in the previous administrations that say, well, well that really isn't enforcing the law the way we intended it for it to be. The best way to do the law as intended is define it as best as we can. And so I'm open between now and full committee to make sure we take the word in pair and define it as closely as we can to what the what we want the the Justice Department to do. That's our job. And so, yeah, I'm willing to say I don't want anybody arrested for the first amendment, but just purely violating I don't want anybody arrested just purely exercising in peaceful protests, but I absolu but we wanna make sure we have this protection in place too, and so we will continue to work. It's a good that you pointed out the word " impair". We look out and say, all right, maybe there that may be broad, can some future administration, you say this one, I argue maybe a future could use that term that's broad, and we wanna make it more precise, and I think that's fair. Fair, that's a fair request from your side.

The gentleman, the ranking member from New Jersey's time has inspired? Are there other members wishing to be recognized? On the amendment. Hearing none, you wanna go, you can go.

What

I'm here.

Oh, I'm sorry.

So I I

Oh, I'm sorry.

I I know I've already been recognized. I've cannot

Well, I w

I I was just wondering if we could withdraw the amendment and work together. That's what I wou and I'm commit before we come to full committee, we'll do I can't commit to the outcome, but I can absolutely commit to an honest negotiation to try to get to the

Yes, uh

What what For what purposes generally can you in New York's uh

So we're

Hold on.

Pardon me. Oh, I'm sorry.

So yield.

So yield.

Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't

May I?

Okay, thank you. Sorry, I'm out of my own time. Um, I appreciate uh I I appreciate the chairman being willing to work together on this and um and in in that spirit of refining that language and ensuring that we're protecting uh those folks who want to make sure that they are expressing themselves. Uh, in the spirit of that negotiation, I'm happy to withdraw the amendment as we work forward to full committee.

Thank you, that's fair, and we will be committed to working together, thank you. Alright. Uh, Yo Bat.

The General Lady. has withdrawn, asked us to call the, I'm sorry.

Mister Chairman. Move to strike the last words.

For what purpose does this gentleman from uh, Texas, the Vice Chair, seek recognition?

Move to strike the last words.

Yeah, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes, like the last word.

Thank you, Alexandra. I yield back.

Okay. Okay.

Oh, you guys must be.

Are there any further amendments on the bill? Hearing none, the question now occurs on adopting H R ninety three thirty eight. All those in favor will signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye. All those opposed, nay.

Yes. Oh.

The ayes have it, and the bill is adopted and forwarded to the full committee. Without objection, uh, the staff is authorized to make technical and conforming uh changes to the legislation approved by the committee today so ordered and without objection, the committee stands adjourned.