Congress·Passed House·H.R. 3632

Congress Proposes Requiring 5-Year Notice Before Power Plants Close to Prevent Electricity Shortages

Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025

3 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Federal Legislation Aims to Prevent Power Plant Closures for Grid Stability

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

✓ House

222–202

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

Power plant owners would be required to give the government a five-year heads-up before closing any unit that produces electricity. This notice is intended to help officials plan for the future and make sure there is enough power to go around for homes and businesses.
If a state or power organization warns that an electricity shortage is coming within the next five years, the federal government can order a power plant to stay open. These orders can last for five years and can be extended if the electricity is still needed to prevent blackouts.
To make this fair for the companies, the government would set rates to pay power plant owners for the extra costs of staying open. This ensures that the businesses are compensated for the expenses of running a facility they originally planned to shut down.
In a major change, if a power plant is ordered to stay open and violates environmental laws as a result, the owners would be protected from lawsuits or fines. This part of the plan prioritizes keeping the lights on over certain pollution rules during times when the power grid is at risk.

Energy EnvironmentEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

8 milestones27 actions

Dec 17, 2025Senate

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Dec 16, 2025House

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Dec 16, 2025House

On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 222 - 202 (Roll no. 342). (text: CR H5927-5928)

Dec 16, 2025

Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 222 - 202 (Roll no. 342). (text: CR H5927-5928)

Dec 16, 2025House

On motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 207 - 218 (Roll no. 341).

Vote Results

2 votes

HouseFailedAmendmentDec 16, 2025

On Motion to Recommit

207

218

Democrat

207 – 0 · 6

Republican

0 – 218 · 2

View full roll call

HousePassedPassageDec 16, 2025

On Passage

222

202

Democrat

7 – 199 · 7

Republican

215 – 3 · 2

View full roll call

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