Sen. Lummis Introduces POWER Up Act to Give Federal Regulators Control Over Large Power Users
The POWER Up Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently sent to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for review. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.
While grid reliability is a major concern, bills that move power from states to the federal government often face strong opposition and rarely pass without broad support.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the POWER Up Act, which would grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to approve or reject grid connections for massive electricity users like data centers. The bill aims to treat AI infrastructure as strategic national infrastructure to ensure grid stability and prevent local power price spikes.
The POWER Up Act has sparked debate in Washington over the federalization of large-load connections. While the bill aims to prevent data centers from being 'slow-rolled' by regional queues, some state regulators worry about losing control over local grid management and the potential for federal overreach in energy siting.
The newly introduced POWER Up Act would require FERC to establish 'just and reasonable' standards for large-load customers seeking grid connections. The legislation targets facilities exceeding 100 MW and mandates a final rule within 18 months to streamline the current patchwork of regional interconnection rules.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
POWER Up Act
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