SHIELD Act
Sponsored By: Representative Levin
Introduced
Summary
new Large Load Facility class. This bill would create a new Large Load Facility class under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to set how very large electricity users connect, meet reliability needs, and match demand with low‑emission resources. It would direct utilities to recover grid upgrade costs needed for that class and to prioritize interconnection for facilities that commit to energy reduction, onsite storage, demand response, or zero‑emission power.
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- Owners and operators of very large facilities would see a clear pathway for interconnection if their site exceeds 75 megawatts of peak demand and they adopt energy‑reducing measures, onsite storage, demand response, or procure zero‑emission energy onsite or within the same balancing authority.
- Electric utilities would face an obligation to recover costs for generation, transmission, or distribution upgrades needed to serve the new class, including situations where a facility later uses less energy than originally projected.
- State regulators and nonregulated utilities would have a set timeline to decide on these standards, generally finishing decisions within 2 years, though states that adopted comparable rules or held proceedings in the prior 3 years are exempt.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.
Deadlines for state utility reviews
If enacted, each State utility regulator and each nonregulated electric utility would have to start hearings on the new large-load and grid reliability standards within one year. They would have to finish consideration and make determinations within two years. Within 30 days after finishing, they would need to send a report to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee explaining the process and basis for the determination. The deadlines would not apply if the State already implemented or considered comparable standards in the three years before enactment. The bill would also treat certain PURPA date references as tied to the date those new standards are enacted.
Priority service for clean large users
If enacted, utilities would have to prioritize service and interconnection requests from large load facilities that meet two conditions. The owner would need to use demand-cutting measures like energy efficiency, onsite storage, or demand response. The owner would also need to meet all facility demand using zero-emission electricity generated onsite or bought within the same balancing authority through a power purchase agreement. These rules would take effect upon enactment.
Utilities can recover large-load upgrade costs
If enacted, utilities that serve the large load class would be allowed to recover all costs for upgrades to generation, transmission, distribution, and local facilities made to meet that class's demand. Recovery would apply even if a large load later stops operating or uses less energy than was projected when the upgrade was made. These rules would take effect upon enactment.
New definition for large electric users
If enacted, the bill would create a formal "large load facility" class for electricity users. A large load would be a single site (or aggregation at one site) with peak demand over 75 megawatts. The bill would exclude existing facilities whose higher demand is mainly caused by electrification or greenhouse-gas reduction measures. It would also define "zero-emission electric energy" to mean electricity generated without greenhouse gas emissions, and list examples like solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, tidal, fission, and fusion.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Levin
CA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
FL • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]
OH • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16]
NY • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
RI • D
Sponsored 2/3/2026
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/9/2026
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 3/3/2026
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/17/2026
Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]
OH • D
Sponsored 3/30/2026
Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6]
PA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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