Senator Heinrich introduces legislation to amend energy regulation rules

Senator Heinrich introduces legislation aimed at amending energy regulation rules

By Dylan R.N. Crabb

WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Guarding Ratepayers from Increased Demand-Costs Savings Act of 2026, or the GRID Savings Act. The legislation aims to amend the Federal Power Act around larger electricity loads to a transmission system by placing more of the cost burden on larger, non-residential electricity users as well as protect grid reliability and increase transparency.

“If a company is driving the need for expensive new facilities, that company should pay for it — not families and small businesses. That’s the basic principle behind my GRID Savings Act,” said Heinrich in a news release. “Electricity demand is growing, driven in large part by hyperscalers, AI data centers, and other large new electricity users. These companies have promised to protect customers from paying for their energy usage, and my GRID Savings Act gives teeth to that commitment by requiring large load customers to pay for the facilities needed to connect them to the grid, while incentivizing hyperscalers to fund transmission-level upgrades. We need to make sure America can meet growing electricity demand without forcing working families and small businesses to fully subsidize the infrastructure required by the nation’s biggest energy users.”

The Federal Power Act, originally passed as the Federal Water Power Act in 1920, initially intended to regulate hydroelectric power, wholesale electricity sales, and interstate electricity transmission. According to Heinrich, the GRID Savings Act would create a new category for the regulation of non-residential electricity users plugging into a grid, intended to place more cost burden on larger electricity users, saving money for small businesses and families.