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119-hr-7405119th CongressWALLET

Rail and Highway Transmission Planning Act

Sponsored By: Representative Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]

Introduced

Summary

Use highway and rail corridors to site high‑voltage transmission lines to speed grid upgrades and ease congestion. This bill would require the Department of Energy to study how existing transportation rights‑of‑way could host high‑voltage electric transmission, and to publish data, best practices, and an interagency action plan.

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  • Families and consumers: Could make electricity more reliable and affordable by identifying routes and configurations that relieve local transmission bottlenecks.
  • Utilities and railroad carriers: Would get a technical review of feasible transmission configurations, safety concerns, electromagnetic interference, and potential operational impacts on rail maintenance and signaling.
  • Federal, State, and local planners: Would receive publicly published data, a consolidated interagency action plan, and resources to guide planning, permitting, financing, and development, plus a required report to Congress within 3 years.
  • Adjacent property owners and stakeholders: The study would identify possible funding and financing options and any potential financial benefits to nearby landowners.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Study: Power lines on highways and rail

If enacted, the Department of Energy would lead a national study on building high-voltage electric transmission in highway and rail rights-of-way. DOE would work with the Department of Transportation, FERC, and relevant National Laboratories. The study would map suitable corridors, review past projects, and identify best practices for planning, permitting, financing, and safety. For each suitable corridor, DOE would evaluate HVAC and HVDC options, overhead and underground designs, costs, permitting time savings, and effects on grid reliability and consumer energy costs. DOE must publish study elements as completed and deliver a final report and machine-readable data to Congress within three years, with limited redactions for national security. The bill would only require study and planning; it would not itself authorize construction, funding, or changes to permitting law.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]

CA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 3/18/2026

  • Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 5/4/2026

  • Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 7/22/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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