[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4895 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4895

To establish a program to disseminate technical and other assistance to 
  small and rural electric cooperatives to support expanding electric 
     transmission capacity and hardening electric transmission and 
   distribution infrastructure against cyberattacks and threats from 
 natural hazards, with a focus on threats from wildfire, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 31, 2024

   Mr. Wyden introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a program to disseminate technical and other assistance to 
  small and rural electric cooperatives to support expanding electric 
     transmission capacity and hardening electric transmission and 
   distribution infrastructure against cyberattacks and threats from 
 natural hazards, with a focus on threats from wildfire, 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 Resilience Improvement through 
Dedicated Assistance Act'' or the ``GRID Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. GRID ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Subtitle A of title I of division D of the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18711 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 40114. GRID ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a State government or the government of any 
                political subdivision of a State;
                    ``(B) a federally recognized Indian Tribe;
                    ``(C) an institution of higher education; and
                    ``(D) a not-for-profit organization.
            ``(2) Grid assistant.--The term `Grid Assistant' means an 
        individual who is trained to provide and support, on a 
        professional basis, assistance (including technical assistance) 
        and informed decisionmaking in the planning, financing, and 
        implementation of electric transmission capacity expansion or 
        the hardening of electric transmission or distribution 
        infrastructure, including with respect to 1 or more of the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Applicable Federal funding opportunities and 
                tax incentives.
                    ``(B) Applicable State, local, and utility-based 
                incentives, including, as appropriate, coordinating 
                with the State energy office in that State.
                    ``(C) Project financing.
                    ``(D) Grant writing.
                    ``(E) Community-based capacity building, including 
                succession planning.
            ``(3) Program.--The term `Program' means the Grid 
        Assistance Program established under subsection (b).
            ``(4) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary, 
        acting through the Director of the Grid Deployment Office.
            ``(5) State energy office.--The term `State energy office' 
        has the meaning given the term `State energy agency' in section 
        391 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6371).
    ``(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program, to 
be known as the `Grid Assistance Program', under which the Secretary 
shall provide grants to eligible entities for the hiring, training, and 
retention by eligible entities of 1 or more Grid Assistants.
    ``(c) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        the Program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary 
        an application at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Secretary may require.
            ``(2) Term.--The term of a grant provided under the Program 
        shall be more than 3, but not more than 6, years, as the 
        Secretary determines to be appropriate to achieve the purposes 
        of this section.
            ``(3) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of 
        carrying out activities under the grant shall be not more than 
        80 percent.
            ``(4) Priority.--In providing grants under the Program, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity--
                    ``(A) the application under paragraph (1) of which 
                is recommended by the director of the relevant State 
                energy office; or
                    ``(B) that serves a rural electric cooperative or 
                utility that--
                            ``(i) is owned by a subdivision of a State, 
                        such as a municipal electric utility; and
                            ``(ii) operates primarily in an area at 
                        high risk of wildfires, as determined using the 
                        wildfire National Risk Index of the Federal 
                        Emergency Management Agency.
    ``(d) Grid Assistants.--A Grid Assistant employed by an eligible 
entity using a grant provided under this section--
            ``(1) shall offer assistance and support described in 
        subsection (a)(2) to not fewer than 2 rural electric 
        cooperatives or utilities owned by a subdivision of a State 
        (such as municipal electric utilities) served by, or in the 
        vicinity of, the eligible entity; and
            ``(2) may provide technical assistance to the eligible 
        entity in applying for transmission capacity expansion and 
        transmission and distribution resilience opportunities under--
                    ``(A) this Act and the amendments made by this Act; 
                and
                    ``(B) Public Law 117-169 (commonly known as the 
                `Inflation Reduction Act of 2022') (136 Stat. 1818).
    ``(e) Information Sharing.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall facilitate the 
        sharing among Grid Assistants of information relating to best 
        practices.
            ``(2) Information from other agencies.--The Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary 
        of Transportation, the Secretary of the Treasury, the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Chief 
        of Engineers, and the heads of such other Federal departments 
        and agencies as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, 
        shall make available to Grid Assistants information relating to 
        other Federal incentives available to eligible entities for 
        transmission capacity expansion and transmission and 
        distribution resilience projects.
    ``(f) Reports to Congress.--Not less frequently than annually, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the 
accomplishments of the Program, including with respect to--
            ``(1) additional transmission capacity added to the grid or 
        transmission or distribution infrastructure hardened using 
        assistance provided pursuant to the Program;
            ``(2) monetary savings to communities; and
            ``(3) reductions in risks relating to--
                    ``(A) natural hazards, including, at a minimum, 
                wildfires; and
                    ``(B) cyberattacks.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $25,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.''.
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