[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AFFORDABLE INNOVATION FOR THE GRID ACT
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 9339) to require the Secretary of Energy to conduct an
assessment on the use of artificial intelligence and high-performance
computing technologies to enhance the bulk-power system, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 9339
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 ``Affordable Innovation for
the Grid Act''.
SEC. 2. ASSESSMENT ON USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND
HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES TO
ENHANCE BULK-POWER SYSTEM.
(a) Assessment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy, in
consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
and the Electric Reliability Organization, shall conduct an
assessment on the use of artificial intelligence and high-
performance computing technologies, including an assessment
of the employment of probabilistic operating techniques by
artificial intelligence and high-performance computing
technologies, to enhance the capacity, reliable operation,
and operational efficiency of the bulk-power system.
(b) Matters.--The assessment conducted under subsection (a)
shall include an assessment of--
(1) the potential for artificial intelligence and high-
performance computing technologies to expedite generator and
load interconnection studies;
(2) the current applications, and levels of adoption, of
artificial intelligence and high-performance computing
technologies with respect to the operation of the bulk-power
system; and
(3) any technical, regulatory, cybersecurity, or
operational limitation affecting such adoption.
(c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall submit
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report on the assessment conducted
under subsection (a), including recommendations to--
(1) overcome any limitation assessed under subsection
(b)(3); and
(2) facilitate the adoption and integration of artificial
intelligence and high-performance computing technologies with
respect to the operation of the bulk-power system.
(d) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``bulk-power
system'', ``Electric Reliability Organization'', and
``reliable operation'' have the meanings given those terms in
section 215(a) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824o(a)).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
legislation and to include extraneous material on H.R. 9339.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
{time} 1840
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9339, the Affordable
Innovation for the Grid Act, sponsored by my colleague Congresswoman
Harshbarger of Tennessee.
This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a report on the
opportunities to use artificial intelligence to enhance the reliability
and affordability of our electric grid.
The Nation's electric grid is replete with complex operational
challenges, a network of millions of miles of wires and thousands of
generators to keep the lights on every minute of the year. That makes
it a particularly important use case for AI models that are designed to
handle such complexities.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Like many of my colleagues and constituents, I am concerned about the
impacts that data centers fuelling AI technologies are having on the
affordability and reliability of our Nation's power grid, absent
guardrails from Congress. Those concerns are only growing.
However, AI can also be deployed to help mitigate some of the stress
on our grid by making it easier to model a complex grid to see where
reliability issues may emerge in the future or by cutting down on the
length of time that grid operators take to review a power plant's
application to connect to the power grid.
H.R. 9339 is a straightforward, bipartisan bill. It requires the
Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the
North American Electric Reliability Corporation to study how to use
artificial intelligence and other computing tools to enhance grid
reliability and to report those findings back to Congress.
Nothing in this bill means that I or my colleagues will pause our
efforts to put commonsense guardrails on data centers to protect
American families, but we want to make sure we can get the most out of
these technologies at the same time to better protect our grid in an
era where the risk of blackouts is rising.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger), the sponsor of this piece of legislation,
my friend and a member of the committee.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the
Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act. It is bipartisan legislation I
introduced with my colleague from California, Congressman Mullin.
Our energy grid is the backbone of our economy, and every hospital,
factory, and family in America depends on it working reliably.
Right now, the system connecting new power generation to that grid is
badly backlogged. Interconnection studies that should take months are
dragging on for years, and that delay is more than just a paperwork
problem. It is a drag on the grid performance and on American
competitiveness at a moment when energy demand is skyrocketing like
never before.
This bill takes a commonsense first step toward fixing that. It
directs the Secretary of Energy, working with FERC and NERC, to conduct
a comprehensive assessment to determine how technologies like high-
performance computing and artificial intelligence can be used to
enhance grid operations, finding efficiency in our existing capacity,
speeding up these interconnection studies, and improving reliability
with tools like predictive maintenance and digital twins. Understanding
how these tools can help our bulk power system run on full power will
be critical to ensuring affordable rates for the long term.
As part of the study, DOE will also work to understand the technical
and cybersecurity barriers for widespread adoption.
Madam Speaker, we don't have a clear national picture of where this
technology stands, but this bill gets us that picture with a report due
to Congress within a year and substantive recommendations so
policymakers have the facts on how these technologies can help
reliability and performance of our grid and where the challenges lie.
My bill is both bipartisan and forward looking. Most importantly, it
is about making sure America leads the world as the epicenter for
affordable, reliable energy.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from California (Mr. Mullin).
Mr. MULLIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable
Innovation for the Grid Act, bipartisan legislation that I was proud to
introduce alongside Representative Harshbarger.
Across the country, rising electricity demand and fuel costs are
driving up monthly energy bills for everyday families. To protect
consumers and strengthen our energy infrastructure, we need to improve
grid efficiency and connect new sources of energy to the grid as
quickly as possible. Supporting the adoption of cutting-edge computing
tools is a practical way to achieve these goals.
The Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act directs the Department of
Energy to study how advanced computing can optimize grid performance
and operations.
Today, new energy projects wait an average of 5 years before
connecting to the grid. Advanced computing has the potential to
significantly shorten this timeline while maintaining grid reliability.
Utilities across the Nation need access to these insights to modernize
our energy infrastructure.
The challenges facing our electric grid cannot wait. This bill will
help spur technological innovation in support of the grid, accelerate
energy deployment, improve grid efficiency, and lower costs for
consumers.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle
to support this legislation.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support
of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friends from Tennessee and
California for working on this bill. I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 9339.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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