Congress has been active recently on legislation that concerns electrical contractors. 


In October, federal lawmakers launched an effort to block the Clean Power Plan. Published in the Federal Register in September, the Clean Power Plan became open to legal and legislative challenges. The highly politicized plan requires states to cut carbon emissions. Electrical contractor reported, in the October issue, that the plan faces lawsuits from states’ attorneys general and the coal industry.

In September, the Clean Power Plan’s final rule was published in the federal register, making it official and opening it up to all manner of legal and legislative challenges. Highly anticipated and hotly contested for more than a year before its publication, the final rule unleashed a torrent of opposition. Requiring states to cut carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning power plants, it now faces lawsuits from state attorneys general and the coal industry.

Now, Congress is rumbling with opposition.


Rep. Ed Whitfield and Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republicans from Kentucky, have introduced separate but similar legislation that would block the Clean Power Plan. Introduced under the Congressional Review Act, such maneuvers have been successful only once, and these legislations—if passed—would certainly suffer a presidential veto.


It’s not all bad news for clean power, though. In the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement, Congress has extended the tax credits for solar and wind power for another five years. As of this writing, the legislation, which was included in the federal budget bill, was not law but was expected to pass. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the extensions will add 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 19 GW of wind power.


On the other end of notoriously intermittent renewable-energy technologies, transmission and storage is vital. The House recognized this with the passage of the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015, which focuses on energy transmission, distribution and storage. Due to fears of the bill undermining current initiatives, the Obama administration has threatened to veto such a bill.


Finally, not strictly energy-related, the House and Senate passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, funding highways and mass-transit projects. It is the first long-term highways bill in over a decade. President Obama signed it into law on Dec. 4.
—Rick Laezman and Timothy Johnson