Congress·In Committee·S. 1566

Sens. Peters and Cassidy Push Bipartisan Bill to Fix America’s Least Reliable Power Grids

Preventing Power Outages Act

11 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

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Key Points

This bill extends an existing federal grant program designed to prevent power outages and strengthen the electric grid. The funding authorization is renewed for five more years, from 2027 through 2031, ensuring continued investment in grid reliability after the original program expires.
From policy text
“by striking ``2022 through 2026'' and inserting ``2027 through 2031, to remain available until expended''”
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The bill changes how grant funding is prioritized by requiring the Department of Energy, states, and tribes to give extra weight to applicants with the worst power outage records. Areas with higher scores on standard reliability indexes—meaning more frequent and longer blackouts—get moved to the front of the line.
From policy text
“the Secretary shall take into consideration the scores of the eligible entities on the System Average Interruption Duration Index, the System Average Interruption Frequency Index, and the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index during the previous 5 years, with eligible entities having lower reliability, as indicated by higher SAIDI, SAIFI, or CAIDI scores during that period, receiving additional weight or consideration”
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The bill simplifies the application process so that utilities and other eligible entities can apply for a grant to address just one type of grid improvement—like burying power lines or installing smart grid technology—without being pressured to bundle multiple projects into their application.
Introduced by Sens. Peters and Cassidy on a bipartisan basis, the bill amends Section 40101 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which originally created the grid resilience program. The changes aim to ensure that areas most vulnerable to outages receive targeted help.
From policy text
“Section 40101 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18711) is amended”
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Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

May 1, 2025Senate

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

May 1, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Related News

2 articles

The Alpena News·3 months ago

Senator Peters shares 2025 accomplishments, including those for Alpena

In response to widespread power outages caused by the ice storm, Peters introduced the bipartisan Preventing Power Outages Act, which would strengthen the resiliency of power grids in Michigan and across the country. The bill would ensure that sufficient funding goes to states whose grids are least reliable and require the most investment.

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EESI·11 months ago

Climate Change Solutions - May 6, 2025

Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced the Preventing Power Outages Act (S. 1566) to strengthen the resilience of the U.S. electric grid. Specifically, the bill would reauthorize and update two U.S. Department of Energy grant programs that support grid infrastructure modernization.

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