H.R. 8543 — Introduced in House

I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8543 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 6, 2020Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to provide grants to improve power lines. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Power Line Resiliency Act. 2. Power line improvement grant program (a) Establishment Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Energy shall establish a program to provide grants to electric utilities to carry out eligible activities. (b) Grants (1) Application To apply for a grant provided under this section, an electric utility shall submit to the Secretary of Energy an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary of Energy may require. (2) Selection The Secretary of Energy shall provide grants under this section— (A) on a competitive basis; and (B) to geographically diverse electric utilities. (3) Priority The Secretary of Energy shall prioritize providing a grant under this section to an electric utility that sells electricity in an area that has a history of extreme weather events. (c) Sunset The program established under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Electric utility The term electric utility has the meaning given such term in section 3(22) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796(22)). (2) Eligible activity (A) In general The term eligible activity means an activity that— (i) is designed to improve the performance or efficiency of a power line; (ii) makes a power line more resilient to an extreme weather event; or (iii) otherwise ensures that an end-user has access to electricity during an extreme weather event. (B) Includes The term eligible activity includes— (i) burying a power line; (ii) hardening a power line; and (iii) if burying a power line is not feasible, providing a generator to a household that is located in a remote area. (3) Extreme weather event The term extreme weather event means an historically rare or severe natural disaster, including a heat wave, drought, flood, tornado, and hurricane. (4) Power line The term power line includes distribution lines and transmission lines.