# H.R. 3616 (119th): Reliable Power Act

Reliable Power Act This bill directs the electric reliability organization (i.e., the North American Electric Reliability Corporation) to conduct annual long-term assessments of the reliability of electric power in the bulk-power system. It also establishes a process for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review federal regulations before they are finalized if the electric reliability organization finds that the system is at risk of not having sufficient electric generation to maintain reliability. If the electric reliability organization finds that the system does not have sufficient generation to maintain reliability, it must notify FERC that the bulk-power system is in a state of generation inadequacy. FERC must then notify the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and any other appropriate federal agencies of the generation inadequacy. Upon receiving the notice, the federal agency must provide proposed regulations that affect any generation resource in the bulk-power system to FERC for review and comment. If applicable, FERC must provide recommendations to modify the regulations. Federal agencies may not finalize such a regulation until FERC finds that it will not be likely to have a significant negative impact on the ability of the bulk-power system to supply sufficient electric energy necessary to maintain an adequate level of reliability.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: energy_policy. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: grid_reliability. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: regulatory_review. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 347: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The measure pursues an ordinary prudential good, reliable electric supply, through inter-agency assessment and review. It does not directly advance a named moral harm or directly restrain one. Its effect on the timing and content of environmental or other generation-related regulations is a real prudential concern, so the classification is mixed rather than good or evil.
Theological note: Relevant to stewardship of creation and provision for neighbors who depend on reliable electricity, and to the prudent ordering of government authority over essential infrastructure. The bill also raises questions about whether added federal review could delay protective regulations or compromise environmental and public-health safeguards. This is an issue-relevance note, not a final moral judgment.

## Recorded votes

Roll 347: On Passage. Yea 225 · Nay 203 · Other 5.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-3616-119/