Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act

Bill Number

H.R. 6176

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Energy

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-11-20: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Last Updated

2026-02-05T09:06:46Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act (H.R. 6176) aims to create a standardized system for reporting performance data from electricity transmission entities. This is intended to increase transparency, ensure accountability, and improve overall grid outcomes, such as reliability, affordability, and efficiency. By addressing fragmented existing reports, the law seeks to enable fair comparisons across providers, protect consumers from unfair costs, and support better decision-making for investments and innovations in the electricity sector.

Key Provisions

• Short Title and Findings: The bill is titled the "Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act." It includes congressional findings emphasizing the role of transmission in national security and economy, the need for uniform reporting to prevent discrimination and inefficiencies, and the benefits of public data for stakeholders like ratepayers (electricity customers) and investors.

• Performance Scorecards (Section 3):
• Transmission Investment, Accountability, and Performance Scorecards (TIAPS): Covered transmission owners (entities owning or operating major transmission facilities) must submit biannual reports to the Secretary of Energy. These include metrics on:
• Ratepayer affordability (e.g., cost per unit of energy transmitted).
• Financing costs (e.g., debt, returns on equity, incentives).
• Investment prudency and recovery (e.g., how costs are justified and recovered from customers).
• Investment effectiveness (e.g., value from projects like grid upgrades or non-traditional solutions like reconductoring—replacing conductors on existing lines).
• Capital expenditure bias (balance between capital spending and maintenance).
• System reliability and availability (e.g., outage data, using standards from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation).
• Physical system performance (e.g., energy losses, capacity use).
• Interconnection and access fairness (e.g., timely processing for new projects, comparing affiliated vs. unaffiliated entities—those with ownership ties vs. independent ones).
• Non-operational cost recovery (e.g., spending on lobbying or penalties passed to customers).
• Interregional planning integration (e.g., participation in cross-region projects).
• Additional metrics set by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for outcomes like equity or environmental performance.
• Exemptions may apply for inapplicable metrics, but they must be narrowly defined.
• Coordination with grid operators, utilities, and regulators is required for data.

• Regional Investment, Accountability, and Performance Scorecards (RIAPS): Independent System Operators (ISOs), Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs—entities managing grid operations over large areas), and transmission planning entities must submit annual reports aggregating TIAPS data and adding regional metrics on:
• Market efficiency (e.g., congestion costs, market operations).
• Interconnection performance (e.g., queue processing time).
• Regional development (e.g., project selection via planning).
• Seams management (handling boundaries between grid regions).
• Greenhouse gas emissions intensity (emissions per unit of electricity delivered).
• Other FERC-determined metrics.

• Data and Reporting: All scorecards must include non-confidential data in machine-readable format. Initial reports due 6 months after FERC's final rule.

• Standardization: FERC standardizes metrics and methods with input from the Department of Energy (DOE), ensuring uniformity except for necessary regional differences. Benefit-cost analyses (comparing project benefits to costs) must use consistent parameters.

• Verification and Audits: Independent evaluators (approved by FERC, with expertise in grid analysis and no conflicts) verify scorecards. National Laboratories (DOE research facilities) assist in protocols and audits. Periodic independent audits by DOE-designated entities ensure accuracy, with public results.

• Rulemaking and Enforcement: FERC issues a final rule within 1 year, with DOE support. Violations by entities under the Federal Power Act (FPA—a key law regulating electricity) are enforceable as FPA violations, potentially leading to penalties. The Secretary of Energy publishes annual ranking reports and conducts triennial reviews of the system.

• Public Transparency (Section 4): DOE must create a searchable online portal within 18 months to host all scorecards and data publicly.

• Scorecard Improvement (Section 5): FERC holds technical conferences every 3 years for feedback and convenes 17-member stakeholder advisory groups (including regulators, utilities, producers, ratepayer advocates, and experts) for rulemakings. FERC must respond to group advice within 60 days.

• Definitions (Section 6): Key terms include "covered transmission owner" (any major transmission entity, even outside the bulk-power system if capacity ≥100 MW), "grid-enhancing technology" (non-wire solutions like dynamic line ratings to boost capacity), and others like "seam" (grid boundaries).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Introduces mandatory, uniform scorecards where current reporting under the FPA (e.g., sections 205 and 206 on rates and practices) is inconsistent and limited, extending requirements to non-FPA entities like some intrastate or smaller utilities.
• Adds new verification, audit, and public portal mechanisms not previously required, standardizing metrics and benefit-cost analyses to reduce variability.
• Expands FERC's role in oversight, including enforcement for FPA-covered entities and coordination with DOE, while incorporating environmental metrics like emissions, which were not standardized before.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Increases workload for FERC (rulemaking, verification approval) and DOE (portal, reports, audits via National Labs), potentially improving coordinated oversight of the grid but requiring new resources for data handling.
• Citizens (Ratepayers): Enhances visibility into costs and performance, potentially leading to lower electricity bills through better accountability, reduced inefficiencies, and fairer interconnections for new clean energy projects; may indirectly support reliability during events like outages.
• International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though improved grid efficiency could enhance U.S. energy security and support cross-border transmission planning (e.g., with Canada or Mexico via interregional ties).

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Transmission Owners and Operators: Must comply with reporting, facing verification costs but gaining standardization for fairer comparisons.
• ISOs, RTOs, and Planning Entities: Responsible for regional scorecards, affecting their market operations and planning.
• Ratepayers and Consumers: Benefit from transparency on costs and reliability; advocacy groups gain tools for oversight.
• Generators and Developers: Improved interconnection fairness could speed up projects like renewables or storage.
• Regulators: FERC and state commissions use data for enforcement; DOE and Environmental Protection Agency provide input on emissions.
• Researchers and Investors: Access to public data enables analysis, competition, and informed investments.
• Environmental and Equity Groups: Metrics on emissions and access support goals for cleaner, fairer energy.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Strengthens FERC's regulatory authority under the FPA by treating scorecard violations as enforceable offenses (e.g., fines up to $1 million per day), while mandating independence in verification to avoid conflicts; relies on existing FPA definitions but broadens scope to non-jurisdictional entities without overriding state authority.
• Constitutional: No major issues; aligns with Commerce Clause powers over interstate electricity, promoting public interest without infringing on private property or free speech, as data is non-confidential and voluntary coordination is encouraged.
• Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (e.g., by Reps. Casten and Mullin) highlights cross-aisle interest in grid modernization; could influence energy policy debates by emphasizing accountability and innovation, potentially pressuring utilities amid clean energy transitions, but requires balancing industry compliance costs with consumer benefits.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6]

Cosponsors (15)

Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15], Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10], Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5], Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8], Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14], Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6], Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11], Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4], Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2], Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1], Rep. Mrvan, Frank J. [D-IN-1]

Recent Actions

• 2025-11-20: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
• 2025-11-20: Introduced in House
• 2025-11-20: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act — issued 2025-11-20 — PDF (33 pages)