Connect the Grid Act

• Households and communities: Would prioritize expanding access to renewables and require meaningful community involvement, including outreach to environmental justice communities and Tribal and Indigenous communities, for siting and planning. Projects are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.

• Grid operators and utilities: Would expand Federal Power Act jurisdiction over ERCOT-connected entities and direct the Electric Reliability Organization to propose a reliability standard that sets minimum total transfer capability for three interconnections — ERCOT–SPP (4.3–12.6 GW), ERCOT–MISO (2.5–16.2 GW), and ERCOT–Western Interconnection (2.6–7.9 GW). The standard would require ERCOT and partners to submit a joint plan within one year and complete work by January 1, 2037.

• Federal programs and labor: Would raise the Transmission Facilitation Program borrowing cap and require the Department of Energy to study the reliability, climate, and cost benefits of connecting ERCOT with Mexico, while prioritizing grid‑enhancing technologies, use of rights-of-way and degraded lands, registered apprenticeships, and prevailing wages.

*Raises the Transmission Facilitation Program borrowing cap from $2.5 billion to $13.5 billion, expanding federal loan authority by $11.0 billion.*