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Congress·In Committee

Congress Proposes Connecting Texas Power Grid to Neighbors to Improve Reliability and Prevent Blackouts

Connect the Grid Act

6 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Key Points

  • This bill would require the Texas power grid to connect with neighboring states for the first time. Currently, Texas operates its own mostly isolated grid, which makes it harder to get help from other states during extreme weather or power shortages.
  • The plan sets specific goals for how much electricity must be able to flow between Texas and its neighbors by 2037. This would allow Texas to bring in power when its own plants can't keep up and sell extra power to other states when it has a surplus.
  • The bill gives the federal government more power to oversee the Texas grid. Right now, Texas avoids many federal rules because its power lines don't cross state lines; this change would bring it under the same reliability standards as the rest of the country.
  • To pay for these upgrades, the bill increases a federal borrowing limit from $2.5 billion to $13.5 billion. This money would help build the new high-voltage lines and equipment needed to link the different systems together.
  • New power lines would be built with a focus on using existing land like highways, railroads, or old industrial sites. The project also aims to create jobs through training programs and requires officials to talk with local communities and Tribal groups before starting construction.
Energy EnvironmentInfrastructure TransportationLabor Employment

Impact Analysis

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

State Impacts

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 26, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Feb 26, 2026

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles
The Austin Chronicle·5 days ago

Headlines / Quote of the Week: Grid Me Up, Scotty

Members of Congress reintroduced the Connect the Grid Act this week, a bill led by Rep. Greg Casar and Sen. Ed Markey that would mandate the interconnection of the Texas power grid with national networks. The bill aims to end Texas' energy isolation to prevent mass outages and lower costs.

CL+
The Hill·over 1 year ago

80 Percent of 2021 Blackouts Preventable with Addition of Texas to National Grid: Study

A study from MIT researchers found that the vast majority of blackouts during the 2021 winter storm could have been avoided if Texas were connected to the national grid. The findings bolster the case for the Connect the Grid Act, which requires ERCOT to build major interregional connections.

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San Antonio Express-News·almost 2 years ago

Connecting Texas power grid to others could prevent Winter Storm Uri-type outages, MIT says

The Connect the Grid Act would require Texas to connect its isolated power system to neighboring states. New research suggests that increasing transfer capacity between Texas and its neighbors could reduce the likelihood of blackouts by up to 82% during extreme weather events.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Connect the Grid Act

Bill NumberHR 7728
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(13)
D: 13

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.