# 119-hr-9945: Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act

119-hr-9945, Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9945
- As of: 2026-08-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9945
- Congress: 119
- Title: Lowering Energy Costs through Grid Modernization Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-08

## Summary

**Accelerates grid modernization** by incentivizing high-performance transmission and fast-tracking reconductoring and right-of-way optimization projects. The bill would create new equipment and project definitions, require planning studies, expand tax credits for qualifying transmission upgrades, and streamline environmental review for covered projects. - Utilities and transmission planners would have to evaluate right-of-way optimization and reconductoring in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission planning processes and submit study results to the Secretary of Energy, with most findings posted publicly while protecting critical infrastructure information. - Project developers and investors would gain access to an expanded Clean Electricity Investment Credit for "high-performance transmission property," with a base credit of 6 percent and a higher 30 percent rate in specified high-performance cases; installation costs and eligibility rules are clarified and tied to domestic content and energy community rules. - The Department of Energy would publish aggregated, non-identifying performance insights and maintain a public list of projects by state, general voltage class, and approximate in-service year. Covered projects would generally qualify for a categorical exclusion under NEPA unless extraordinary circumstances apply, and the Secretary of Energy would have 18 months to issue implementing guidance, with a prohibition tied to material assistance from prohibited foreign entities for property beginning after December 31, 2025.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hamadeh, Abraham J. [R-AZ-8] (R-AZ), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tax credit for transmission upgrades: benefit, high. This bill would add "high-performance transmission property" to the Clean Electricity Investment Credit. The credit would equal your basis in the property times 6% normally, or 30% if the property is under 1 megawatt or meets special subsection tests; installation costs would count toward the basis…
- Faster grid upgrades and reviews: mixed, medium. This bill would define key terms for transmission upgrades, including an "advanced conductor" that must carry at least 1.5 times the capacity of a common ACSR conductor, have at least 10% lower DC resistance, and at least 25% less thermal sag. It would let FERC-covered transmission providers do mod…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9945 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9945)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9945 (as of 2026-08-08).