The House on Thursday approved a Republican bill that seeks to deprioritize some renewable energy from getting onto the electric grid amid broader GOP attacks on green energy.
The legislation, which passed 216-206, allows “dispatchable” energy to be prioritized amid the long line of projects that seek to get plugged into the nation’s electric grid.
“Dispatchable” energy can refer to fossil fuels and nuclear energy. It may also refer to some renewable energy projects if they come with battery storage that allows solar or wind power to be harnessed and deployed at a later date.
But renewable energy projects that lack battery storage could be bypassed under the legislation and held up for even longer than the already years-long wait to get through grid interconnection queues.
Sponsor Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) said in a press release when the bill was introduced that it would “protect our grid’s reliability and provide the power needed to meet America’s growing demand.”
However, Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) said in a markup earlier this year that the bill would allow “fossil fuel projects to cut the line.”
“We shouldn’t be prioritizing ready-to-go projects just because they are clean energy,” he said.
The bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate, where it would need at least seven Democrats to support it.
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