The House debated H.R. 9339, the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act, which directs the Department of Energy to assess and report on how artificial intelligence and high-performance computing could improve the capacity, reliability, and efficiency of the nation’s electric grid. Supporters, including Representatives Guthrie, Harshbarger, Fletcher, and Mullin, said rising electricity demand and long waits to connect new power sources are straining the grid and driving up costs, and that AI could help find weak spots and speed up those connections. Fletcher noted concerns about the electricity used by AI data centers. The bill was brought up under a suspension of the rules and had bipartisan sponsorship.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .
“I want the House to pass this bill. It tells the Department of Energy to study how artificial intelligence and supercomputers can improve the nation's electric power system.”
“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9339) to require the Secretary of Energy to conduct an assessment on the use of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing technologies to enhance the bulk-power system, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9339) to require the Secretary of Energy to conduct an assessment on the use of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing technologies to enhance the bulk-power system, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:
“I want the House to pass this bill. It tells the Department of Energy to study how artificial intelligence can make our electric grid more reliable and affordable. Our power grid is huge and complex, and AI is built to handle problems like that.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9339, the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act, sponsored by my colleague Congresswoman Harshbarger of Tennessee. This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a report on the opportunities to use artificial intelligence to enhance the reliability and affordability of our electric grid. The Nation’s electric grid is replete with complex operational challenges, a network of millions of miles of wires and thousands of generators to keep the lights on every minute of the year. That makes it a particularly important use case for AI models that are designed to handle such complexities. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9339, the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act, sponsored by my colleague Congresswoman Harshbarger of Tennessee. This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a report on the opportunities to use artificial intelligence to enhance the reliability and affordability of our electric grid. The Nation’s electric grid is replete with complex operational challenges, a network of millions of miles of wires and thousands of generators to keep the lights on every minute of the year. That makes it a particularly important use case for AI models that are designed to handle such complexities. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
“I want the House to pass this bill. Data centers for AI use a lot of electricity, which strains our power grid. But AI can also help us find weak spots in the grid and connect new power plants faster. This bill tells federal energy agencies to study how AI can make the grid more reliable and report back to Congress.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Like many of my colleagues and constituents, I am concerned about the impacts that data centers fuelling AI technologies are having on the affordability and reliability of our Nation’s power grid, absent guardrails from Congress. Those concerns are only growing. However, AI can also be deployed to help mitigate some of the stress on our grid by making it easier to model a complex grid to see where reliability issues may emerge in the future or by cutting down on the length of time that grid operators take to review a power plant’s application to connect to the power grid. H.R. 9339 is a straightforward, bipartisan bill. It requires the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to study how to use artificial intelligence and other computing tools to enhance grid reliability and to report those findings back to Congress. Nothing in this bill means that I or my colleagues will pause our efforts to put commonsense guardrails on data centers to protect American families, but we want to make sure we can get the most out of these technologies at the same time to better protect our grid in an era where the risk of blackouts is rising. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Like many of my colleagues and constituents, I am concerned about the impacts that data centers fuelling AI technologies are having on the affordability and reliability of our Nation’s power grid, absent guardrails from Congress. Those concerns are only growing. However, AI can also be deployed to help mitigate some of the stress on our grid by making it easier to model a complex grid to see where reliability issues may emerge in the future or by cutting down on the length of time that grid operators take to review a power plant’s application to connect to the power grid. H.R. 9339 is a straightforward, bipartisan bill. It requires the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to study how to use artificial intelligence and other computing tools to enhance grid reliability and to report those findings back to Congress. Nothing in this bill means that I or my colleagues will pause our efforts to put commonsense guardrails on data centers to protect American families, but we want to make sure we can get the most out of these technologies at the same time to better protect our grid in an era where the risk of blackouts is rising. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
“I want the House to pass this bill. It directs the government to study how artificial intelligence and advanced computers can make our electric grid faster, more reliable, and more efficient. Right now, delays in connecting new power to the grid hurt our economy. This study will give Congress the facts it needs to fix those problems.”
“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act. It is bipartisan legislation I introduced with my colleague from California, Congressman Mullin. Our energy grid is the backbone of our economy, and every hospital, factory, and family in America depends on it working reliably. Right now, the system connecting new power generation to that grid is badly backlogged. Interconnection studies that should take months are dragging on for years, and that delay is more than just a paperwork problem. It is a drag on the grid performance and on American competitiveness at a moment when energy demand is skyrocketing like never before. This bill takes a commonsense first step toward fixing that. It directs the Secretary of Energy, working with FERC and NERC, to conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine how technologies like high- performance computing and artificial intelligence can be used to enhance grid operations, finding efficiency in our existing capacity, speeding up these interconnection studies, and improving reliability with tools like predictive maintenance and digital twins. Understanding how these tools can help our bulk power system run on full power will be critical to ensuring affordable rates for the long term. As part of the study, DOE will also work to understand the technical and cybersecurity barriers for widespread adoption. Madam Speaker, we don’t have a clear national picture of where this technology stands, but this bill gets us that picture with a report due to Congress within a year and substantive recommendations so policymakers have the facts on how these technologies can help reliability and performance of our grid and where the challenges lie. My bill is both bipartisan and forward looking. Most importantly, it is about making sure America leads the world as the epicenter for affordable, reliable energy. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act. It is bipartisan legislation I introduced with my colleague from California, Congressman Mullin. Our energy grid is the backbone of our economy, and every hospital, factory, and family in America depends on it working reliably. Right now, the system connecting new power generation to that grid is badly backlogged. Interconnection studies that should take months are dragging on for years, and that delay is more than just a paperwork problem. It is a drag on the grid performance and on American competitiveness at a moment when energy demand is skyrocketing like never before. This bill takes a commonsense first step toward fixing that. It directs the Secretary of Energy, working with FERC and NERC, to conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine how technologies like high- performance computing and artificial intelligence can be used to enhance grid operations, finding efficiency in our existing capacity, speeding up these interconnection studies, and improving reliability with tools like predictive maintenance and digital twins. Understanding how these tools can help our bulk power system run on full power will be critical to ensuring affordable rates for the long term. As part of the study, DOE will also work to understand the technical and cybersecurity barriers for widespread adoption. Madam Speaker, we don’t have a clear national picture of where this technology stands, but this bill gets us that picture with a report due to Congress within a year and substantive recommendations so policymakers have the facts on how these technologies can help reliability and performance of our grid and where the challenges lie. My bill is both bipartisan and forward looking. Most importantly, it is about making sure America leads the world as the epicenter for affordable, reliable energy. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
“I want the House to pass this bill. Higher demand and fuel costs are raising energy bills for families. New energy projects now wait five years to connect to the electric grid. This bill tells the Department of Energy to study how advanced computers can make the grid work better and shorten that wait.”
“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act, bipartisan legislation that I was proud to introduce alongside Representative Harshbarger. Across the country, rising electricity demand and fuel costs are driving up monthly energy bills for everyday families. To protect consumers and strengthen our energy infrastructure, we need to improve grid efficiency and connect new sources of energy to the grid as quickly as possible. Supporting the adoption of cutting-edge computing tools is a practical way to achieve these goals. The Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act directs the Department of Energy to study how advanced computing can optimize grid performance and operations. Today, new energy projects wait an average of 5 years before connecting to the grid. Advanced computing has the potential to significantly shorten this timeline while maintaining grid reliability. Utilities across the Nation need access to these insights to modernize our energy infrastructure. The challenges facing our electric grid cannot wait. This bill will help spur technological innovation in support of the grid, accelerate energy deployment, improve grid efficiency, and lower costs for consumers. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act, bipartisan legislation that I was proud to introduce alongside Representative Harshbarger. Across the country, rising electricity demand and fuel costs are driving up monthly energy bills for everyday families. To protect consumers and strengthen our energy infrastructure, we need to improve grid efficiency and connect new sources of energy to the grid as quickly as possible. Supporting the adoption of cutting-edge computing tools is a practical way to achieve these goals. The Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act directs the Department of Energy to study how advanced computing can optimize grid performance and operations. Today, new energy projects wait an average of 5 years before connecting to the grid. Advanced computing has the potential to significantly shorten this timeline while maintaining grid reliability. Utilities across the Nation need access to these insights to modernize our energy infrastructure. The challenges facing our electric grid cannot wait. This bill will help spur technological innovation in support of the grid, accelerate energy deployment, improve grid efficiency, and lower costs for consumers. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation.
