[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2620 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2620

   To amend the Federal Power Act to improve the reliability of the 
          electric transmission grid, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 17, 2014

  Mrs. McCaskill (for herself and Mr. Blunt) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
                            and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Federal Power Act to improve the reliability of the 
          electric transmission grid, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Grid Reliability Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. GRID RELIABILITY.

    (a) Compliance Under Emergency Orders.--Section 202(c) of the 
Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824a(c)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(c) During'' and inserting the following:
    ``(c) Temporary Connection and Exchange of Facilities During 
Emergency.--
            ``(1) In general.--During'';
            (2) by striking ``If the parties'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(2) Terms.--If the parties''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Administration of orders conflicting with other 
        laws.--In the case of an order issued under this subsection 
        that may result in a conflict with a requirement of any 
        Federal, State, or local environmental law (including a 
        regulation), the Commission shall ensure that the order--
                    ``(A) requires generation, delivery, interchange, 
                or transmission of electric energy only during hours 
                necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public 
                interest; and
                    ``(B) to the maximum extent practicable--
                            ``(i) is consistent with any applicable 
                        Federal, State, or local environmental law 
                        (including a regulation); and
                            ``(ii) minimizes any adverse environmental 
                        impacts.
            ``(4) Applicability of other laws conflicting with 
        orders.--To the extent that an omission or action taken by a 
        party to comply with an order issued under this subsection 
        (including any omission or action taken to voluntarily comply 
        with the order) results in noncompliance with, or causes a 
        party to not comply with, any Federal, State, or local 
        environmental law (including a regulation), the omission or 
        action shall not be subject to any requirement, civil or 
        criminal liability, or a citizen suit under the environmental 
        law (or regulation).
            ``(5) Renewal or reissuance of orders conflicting with 
        other laws.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An order issued under this 
                subsection that may result in a conflict with a 
                requirement of any Federal, State, or local 
                environmental law (including a regulation) shall expire 
                not later than 90 days after the date the order is 
                issued.
                    ``(B) Renewal or reissuance of orders.--The 
                Commission may renew or reissue the order in accordance 
                with this subsection for subsequent periods of not to 
                exceed 90 days for each period, as the Commission 
                determines necessary to meet the emergency and serve 
                the public interest.
                    ``(C) Administration.--In renewing or reissuing an 
                order under this paragraph, the Commission shall--
                            ``(i) consult with the primary Federal 
                        agency with expertise in the environmental 
                        interest protected by the law (or regulation); 
                        and
                            ``(ii) include in the renewed or reissued 
                        order such conditions as such Federal agency 
                        determines necessary to minimize any adverse 
                        environmental impacts, to the maximum extent 
                        practicable.
                    ``(D) Public availability.--Any conditions 
                submitted by a Federal agency described in subparagraph 
                (C)(i) shall be made available to the public.
                    ``(E) Exclusion of conditions.--The Commission may 
                exclude a condition described in subparagraph (D) from 
                the renewed or reissued order if the Commission--
                            ``(i) determines that the condition would 
                        prevent the order from adequately addressing 
                        the emergency necessitating the order; and
                            ``(ii) provides in the order, or otherwise 
                        makes publicly available, an explanation of the 
                        determination.
            ``(6) Orders that are stayed, modified, or set aside.--If 
        an order issued under this subsection is subsequently stayed, 
        modified, or set aside by a court pursuant to section 313 or 
        any other provision of law, any omission or action previously 
        taken by a party that was necessary to comply with the order 
        while the order was in effect (including any omission or action 
        taken to voluntarily comply with the order) shall remain 
        subject to paragraph (4).''.
    (b) Temporary Connection or Construction by Municipalities.--
Section 202(d) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824a(d)) is amended 
by inserting ``or municipality'' after ``any person''.
                                 <all>