The House debated H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, which would have the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission set up regional boards, run jointly with state utility commissions, to study and recommend best practices for predicting electricity demand; states would then be asked to consider adopting the recommendations. Supporters, including bill sponsor Troy Balderson and committee chairman Brett Guthrie, said electricity demand is rising quickly, driven in part by data centers and artificial intelligence, and that inaccurate forecasts could lead to blackouts or wasted costs passed on to customers. Lizzie Fletcher spoke in support as well, saying estimates of data center power needs vary widely and the bill would help federal and state regulators work together on better forecasts. Members encouraged a yes vote under suspension of the rules.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .
“I am asking the House to pass this bill. It sets up regional boards to study how to better predict electricity demand.”
“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9332) to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish regional joint boards to study electric load forecasting, 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. 9332) to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish regional joint boards to study electric load forecasting, 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. Demand for electricity is growing very fast. This bill helps us better predict how much power we need, so we do not overspend and drive up costs for families and businesses.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, sponsored by my colleague Congressman Troy Balderson from Ohio. Simply put, this legislation will improve the accuracy of electricity demand projections. We all know electricity demand is increasing at a rapid pace not seen since World War II. Until our load forecasting models can more accurately determine the levels of growth, we risk overbuilding a system that is funded by households and businesses. H.R. 9332 encourages Federal and State partnerships to keep the lights on at an affordable price for our communities. 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. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, sponsored by my colleague Congressman Troy Balderson from Ohio. Simply put, this legislation will improve the accuracy of electricity demand projections. We all know electricity demand is increasing at a rapid pace not seen since World War II. Until our load forecasting models can more accurately determine the levels of growth, we risk overbuilding a system that is funded by households and businesses. H.R. 9332 encourages Federal and State partnerships to keep the lights on at an affordable price for our communities. 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. Demand for power is growing fast because of data centers, but we do not know how much power they will actually need. If companies guess wrong, electric bills will go up or power outages will increase. This bill helps the federal government and states work together to make better predictions.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, one of the most frustrating aspects of the explosion of artificial intelligence-driven demand for electricity is that we actually have no idea how large it will be. We know the demand for power is soaring, but estimates vary all over the place. One study from this February estimated that by the end of the decade, data centers would consume anywhere between 9 and 17 percent of all American electricity. Both of those numbers are enormous, but the gap between them is enormous, too. We simply need to get smarter about our demand forecasts. This isn’t an academic point. Demand projections for the future impact electricity prices today. Utilities across the Nation are investing in infrastructure and putting steel in the ground today based on the best available estimates of what demand for electricity will look like 3 to 5 years from now. If they are wrong because the estimates are too high, there is no refund. Families across the Nation will be stuck holding the bag. If they are wrong because the estimates are too low, then our grid gets less reliable, and the risk of blackouts increases. It is a lose-lose situation. H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, helps fix this problem by requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, to create joint boards with State regulators to figure out best practices for predicting electricity demand. The bill requires State regulators to push for their utilities to use those best practices. It is a smart solution that gets every relevant party to the table. I commend my colleague, Representative Menendez, for co-leading this bill. I will note that all of these efforts become more difficult if data centers continue issuing NDAs that prevent utilities from comparing notes to see if they are getting requests from the same data center. We need guardrails on data center development to ensure transparency for communities and regulators. This bill doesn’t entirely fix the problem, but it represents an important first step. 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. Madam Speaker, one of the most frustrating aspects of the explosion of artificial intelligence-driven demand for electricity is that we actually have no idea how large it will be. We know the demand for power is soaring, but estimates vary all over the place. One study from this February estimated that by the end of the decade, data centers would consume anywhere between 9 and 17 percent of all American electricity. Both of those numbers are enormous, but the gap between them is enormous, too. We simply need to get smarter about our demand forecasts. This isn’t an academic point. Demand projections for the future impact electricity prices today. Utilities across the Nation are investing in infrastructure and putting steel in the ground today based on the best available estimates of what demand for electricity will look like 3 to 5 years from now. If they are wrong because the estimates are too high, there is no refund. Families across the Nation will be stuck holding the bag. If they are wrong because the estimates are too low, then our grid gets less reliable, and the risk of blackouts increases. It is a lose-lose situation. H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, helps fix this problem by requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, to create joint boards with State regulators to figure out best practices for predicting electricity demand. The bill requires State regulators to push for their utilities to use those best practices. It is a smart solution that gets every relevant party to the table. I commend my colleague, Representative Menendez, for co-leading this bill. I will note that all of these efforts become more difficult if data centers continue issuing NDAs that prevent utilities from comparing notes to see if they are getting requests from the same data center. We need guardrails on data center development to ensure transparency for communities and regulators. This bill doesn’t entirely fix the problem, but it represents an important first step. 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. Demand for electricity is growing quickly. If we predict it wrong, we could either face blackouts or waste billions of dollars that customers have to pay. This bill creates regional boards to find the best ways to predict our power needs.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie for his continued leadership of the committee. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, which shields Americans from unnecessary costs and strengthens long-term energy reliability. Our electric grid is entering a period of historic change. We see rapid growth in demand from advanced manufacturing and electrification. These projects represent economic opportunity and investment in our communities, but they also raise important questions: How much electricity are we going to need, and where do we need it? Keeping the lights on starts with understanding changing power needs and getting the right infrastructure in place. For years, experts have warned that our grid operators face growing reliability risks as electricity demand continues to increase, which means we need to get serious about planning for the future. Getting the forecast wrong can create problems in both directions. If we underestimate demand, we risk not building enough generation and transmission to keep the lights on. If we overestimate the demand, we could end up spending billions of dollars on infrastructure for projects that never materialize, leaving American ratepayers responsible for footing the bill. The Load Forecasting Enhancement Act would bring State utility regulators and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission together through regional joint boards to identify best practices for forecasting future electricity demand. FERC would then report those findings and recommendations to Congress. The bill also requires States to consider incorporating the recommendations, greatly improving transparency and accountability in load forecasting. With this legislation, we can make sure the people responsible for planning our electric grid have the best information possible. Madam Speaker, we want America to lead the world in manufacturing and innovation. We want businesses to invest and create good-paying jobs. Most importantly, we want communities across Ohio and across this country to benefit from the growth. By passing my bill, Congress can help lower costs for consumers and ensure our grid can keep pace with the growing demand. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman Menendez, for co-leading the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act with me. This bipartisan legislation was passed unanimously out of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill here today.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie for his continued leadership of the committee. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, which shields Americans from unnecessary costs and strengthens long-term energy reliability. Our electric grid is entering a period of historic change. We see rapid growth in demand from advanced manufacturing and electrification. These projects represent economic opportunity and investment in our communities, but they also raise important questions: How much electricity are we going to need, and where do we need it? Keeping the lights on starts with understanding changing power needs and getting the right infrastructure in place. For years, experts have warned that our grid operators face growing reliability risks as electricity demand continues to increase, which means we need to get serious about planning for the future. Getting the forecast wrong can create problems in both directions. If we underestimate demand, we risk not building enough generation and transmission to keep the lights on. If we overestimate the demand, we could end up spending billions of dollars on infrastructure for projects that never materialize, leaving American ratepayers responsible for footing the bill. The Load Forecasting Enhancement Act would bring State utility regulators and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission together through regional joint boards to identify best practices for forecasting future electricity demand. FERC would then report those findings and recommendations to Congress. The bill also requires States to consider incorporating the recommendations, greatly improving transparency and accountability in load forecasting. With this legislation, we can make sure the people responsible for planning our electric grid have the best information possible. Madam Speaker, we want America to lead the world in manufacturing and innovation. We want businesses to invest and create good-paying jobs. Most importantly, we want communities across Ohio and across this country to benefit from the growth. By passing my bill, Congress can help lower costs for consumers and ensure our grid can keep pace with the growing demand. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from New Jersey, Congressman Menendez, for co-leading the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act with me. This bipartisan legislation was passed unanimously out of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill here today.
“Madam Speaker, I appreciate my good friend Mr. Balderson for sponsoring this and working with Mr. Menendez from New Jersey. I encourage a ``yes’’ vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I appreciate my good friend Mr. Balderson for sponsoring this and working with Mr. Menendez from New Jersey. I encourage a ``yes’’ vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
