To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to promulgate regulations with respect to regional and interregional transmission planning, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The CHARGE Act reforms how electric transmission infrastructure is planned and paid for in the United States. It requires FERC to establish mandatory interregional transmission planning processes, creates data transparency requirements for the electricity grid, and reforms the governance of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs).
Who Benefits and How
Renewable energy developers and clean energy companies benefit significantly as the bill prioritizes transmission planning that connects renewable resources to demand centers and prohibits FERC from using price mitigation methods against state renewable energy subsidies. Consumers benefit from requirements that costs be allocated based on benefits received and from new stakeholder participation rights. Rural cooperatives and public power entities benefit from provisions studying alternative procurement methods they could use.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Incumbent transmission-owning utilities face new planning requirements, mandatory cost-sharing for network upgrades (they can no longer require interconnection customers to exclusively fund upgrades), and governance reforms that dilute their influence. RTOs and ISOs must comply with extensive new transparency, governance, and stakeholder participation requirements including public disclosure of votes, independent boards, and revolving door prohibitions.
Key Provisions
- Mandatory 10-20 year interregional transmission planning with cost allocation based on multiple benefit metrics
- Minimum transfer capability requirements between transmission planning regions
- Real-time public data transparency including hourly emissions data and generation by fuel type
- RTO/ISO governance reforms including independent boards, consumer representation, and public meeting requirements
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reforms electric transmission planning, cost allocation, and governance to facilitate renewable energy integration and improve grid reliability through mandatory interregional planning, data transparency, and stakeholder participation reforms.
Key Policy Areas
Energy, Environment, Consumer Protection, Government Reform
Primary Purpose
Reforms electric transmission planning, cost allocation, and governance to facilitate renewable energy integration and improve grid reliability through mandatory interregional planning, data transparency, and stakeholder participation reforms.
Policy Domains
CHARGE Act of 2023
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Renewable energy developers
- Clean energy companies
- Electricity consumers
- Rural electric cooperatives
- Public power entities
- Consumer advocacy groups
- Environmental justice communities
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Incumbent transmission-owning utilities
- Regional Transmission Organizations
- Independent System Operators
- Fossil fuel generators
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Smith, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Warren, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Independent System Operators, Independent transmission developers, Regional Transmission Organizations
Positive-direction: Independent transmission developers
Negative-direction: Independent System Operators, Regional Transmission Organizations, Transmission-owning utilities
Consumer advocacy groups, Environmental advocacy groups, Environmental justice communities
Clean energy technology companies, Independent power producers, Renewable energy developers
Public power entities, Public utilities, Rural electric cooperatives
Positive-direction: Public power entities, Rural electric cooperatives
Negative-direction: Public utilities, Utility executives
Energy Information Administration, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Tribal governments
Energy storage developers, Grid-enhancing technology vendors
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_commission"
- → Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Energy Information Administration
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796)
An individual or entity that has submitted to the owner or operator of a transmission facility or transmission system a request to interconnect a generation project or energy storage project that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission
A joint process by transmission providers in 2 or more adjacent transmission planning regions to evaluate electric energy transmission needs
Has the meaning given the term in section 217(a) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824q(a))
Has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796)
A facility that is used for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce
A region for which electric energy transmission planning is appropriate, as determined by the Commission
A public utility that owns, operates, or controls 1 or more transmission facilities
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology