Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
Latest action · Dec 17, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 29, 2025
- Passed HouseDec 16, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
This bill modifies the process that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) uses to determine, upon a complaint from a state commission, whether a public utility (i.e., power plant) must remain open because the retirement of the power plant will make the bulk power system unreliable, including by allowing transmission organizations to also file complaints with FERC.
If FERC finds that any interstate service of any public utility is inadequate or insufficient, or is likely to become inadequate or insufficient within five years of receiving such complaint, then FERC must determine the proper, adequate, or sufficient service to be furnished through an order, rule, or regulation (order).
The bill specifies that FERC may order a power plant to remain open for up to five years. Any affected state commission, transmission organization, or power plant may request that FERC extend such order.
A FERC order must determine (1) any rate or charge necessary to provide compensation for the additional costs of the service, and (2) the cost allocation of any rate or charge.
A power plant owner or operator must notify FERC and affected state commissions or transmission organizations at least five years before any planned retirement of a unit of an electric generating facility except in the case of an emergency or similar event that renders a unit inoperable.
The bill exempts from federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations any action taken by a generating facility to comply with such orders.
Recorded votes 2
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 9, 2025 to Sep 17, 2025.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-GA | Earl L. "Buddy" Carter | Jun 9, 2025 | |
| R-CA | Jay Obernolte | Jun 11, 2025 | |
| R-MO | Robert F. Onder, Jr. | Jul 21, 2025 | |
| R-WV | Carol D. Miller | Sep 17, 2025 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred May 29, 2025Markup Jun 25, 2025Reported Sep 23, 2025Reported Nov 25, 2025 Dec 16, 2025 |
| Energy Subcommittee | Referred Jun 3, 2025Markup Jun 5, 2025Reported Jun 5, 2025 | |
| Senate | Energy and Natural Resources Committee | Referred Dec 17, 2025 |
Actions 23
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 17, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Dec 16, 2025Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 951. (consideration: CR H5927-5933)
- Dec 16, 2025Ms. Scholten moved to recommit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. (text: CR H5933)
- Dec 16, 2025Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5934-5935)
- Dec 16, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 222 - 202 (Roll no. 342). (text: CR H5927-5928)
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H5912–H5921, H5927–H5936Text printed H5912, H5927Amendments H5919Motions H5933Recorded votes H5919, H5920, H5934, H5935consideration (H. Res. 951), previous questionenactScholten motion to recommit | Dave Min D-CA, Earl L. "Buddy" Carter R-GA, Gabe Evans R-CO, Gary J. Palmer R-AL, Hillary J. Scholten D-MI (motion), Julie Fedorchak R-ND, Kathy Castor D-FL, Mary Gay Scanlon D-PA (amendment), Nicholas A. Langworthy R-NY, Paul Tonko D-NY, Robert E. Latta R-OH, Russell Fry R-SC, Troy Balderson R-OH | Dec 16, 2025 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1193 | Betty McCollum D-MN | Dec 12, 2025 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee reports
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Sep 29, 2025H.R. 3632, Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025As reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on September 23, 2025
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 91, May 29, 2025, page H2377.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R48587 | U.S. Coal Industry Trends | Report | Nov 14, 2025 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Federal Power Act to adjust the requirements for orders, rules, and regulations relating to furnishing adequate service, to require owners or operators of generating facilities to provide notice of planned retirements of certain electric generating units, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- To amend the Federal Power Act to adjust the requirements for orders, rules, and regulations relating to furnishing adequate service, to require owners or operators of generating facilities to provide notice of planned retirements of certain electric generating units, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Energy.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 17, 2025Referred in Senate
- Dec 16, 2025Engrossed in House
- Sep 23, 2025Reported in House
- May 29, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
