Wildfire and Grid Reliability Act

This bill would require the Secretary of Energy to set up a grant program within 90 days for electric utilities, including public, municipal, cooperative, investor-owned, and federal utilities. Grants would pay for work that reduces the risk of power lines starting wildfires or makes the power grid better able to withstand natural disasters, such as burying power lines, installing steel poles and covered wires, managing vegetation, and building microgrids. At least 40 percent of grant money would go to wildfire-risk projects and at least 20 percent to smaller utilities. Most utilities would have to match grants dollar for dollar, while smaller utilities would match one-third. The bill would authorize $15 billion per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2036 and require a report to Congress every 2 years.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Ron Wyden Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors