Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 24, 2015
Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2015
This bill amends the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to ensure that any emergency order that may result in conflict with federal, state, or local environmental law or regulations:
requires generation, delivery, interchange, or transmission of electricity only during hours necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public interest;
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be consistent with applicable environmental law; and
minimizes any adverse environmental impacts to the maximum extent practical.
Any necessary action or omission in such an emergency that does not comply with federal, state, or local environmental law or regulation shall not be considered a violation of it, or subject the party involved to any related requirement, civil or criminal liability, or a citizen suit.
Such emergency orders must expire within 90 days. FERC may renew or reissue an order for subsequent periods of no more than 90 days each as necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public interest.
During an emergency, a municipality engaged in the transmission or sale of electricity, and not otherwise subject to FERC jurisdiction, may make temporary connections with public utilities that are subject to FERC jurisdiction, and construct necessary or appropriate temporary electricity transmission facilities, without becoming subject to FERC jurisdiction by reason of that temporary connection or construction.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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