# 119-s-3976: Connect the Grid Act of 2026

119-s-3976, Connect the Grid Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3976
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3976
- Congress: 119
- Title: Connect the Grid Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-03
- Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Would connect ERCOT to neighboring grids and expand federal authority to fund and set reliability standards for regional transmission.** The bill focuses on boosting electric reliability, speeding transmission buildout with grid‑enhancing technologies, and embedding environmental justice, Tribal, and labor protections. - Would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to set minimum total transfer capability standards between ERCOT and neighboring grids, repeal certain ERCOT exemptions, and push for joint siting and construction plans with a 2035 completion target. - Would boost federal financing for transmission by raising the Transmission Facilitation Program borrowing cap from $2.5 billion to $13.5 billion and prioritize use of existing rights-of-way, degraded lands, and grid-enhancing technologies to speed deployment. - Would raise environmental review expectations under NEPA and the Endangered Species Act, mandate community and Tribal engagement, require registered apprenticeship programs and prevailing wages, and direct a one-year Energy Department study on interconnecting U.S. facilities with Mexico.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More federal loans for transmission: benefit, high. This bill would raise borrowing authority for the Transmission Facilitation Program from $2.5 billion to $13.5 billion. If enacted, more federal loans would be available to utilities, developers, and other borrowers building transmission. The change would take effect upon enactment.
- New federal rules for ERCOT grid: mixed, high. This bill would remove special federal exemptions for parts of the ERCOT grid and bring them under broader Federal Power Act rules. It would require a reliability group to propose minimum power-transfer ranges within 30 days and force joint siting and construction plans within 1 year, with work fin…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-3976 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3976)

## Related
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1507)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3976 (as of 2026-09-10).