II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4931 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to reduce 

the risk of wildfires caused by power lines, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 1, 2020 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. MERKLEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant 

program to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by power 

lines, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wildfire Resilient 

5 Power Grid Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti9 ty’’ means an electric utility, including— 


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1 (A) a publicly owned electric utility; 

2 (B) a municipal electric utility; 

3 (C) a cooperatively owned electric utility; 

4 (D) an investor-owned electric utility; and 

5 (E) a Federal agency or federally owned 

6 corporation that is an electric utility (as defined 

7 in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 

8 U.S.C. 796)). 

9 (2) POWER LINE.—The term ‘‘power line’’ in10 cludes a transmission line or a distribution line, as 

11 applicable. 

12 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

13 the program established under subsection (b). 

14 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

15 the Secretary of Energy. 

16 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

17 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es18 tablish within the Office of Electricity Delivery and En19 ergy Reliability a program under which the Secretary shall 

20 make grants to eligible entities to carry out activities 

21 that— 

22 (1) reduce the risk of any power lines owned or 

23 operated by the eligible entity causing a wildfire; 

24 (2) are designed to enhance public safety; and 


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1 (3) are supplemental to the existing wildfire 

2 risk mitigation efforts of the eligible entity planned 

3 for any given year. 

4 (c) APPLICATION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a 

6 grant under the program shall submit to the Sec7 retary an application at such time, in such manner, 

8 and containing such information as the Secretary 

9 may require. 

10 (2) REQUIREMENT.—As a condition of receiving 

11 a grant under the program, an eligible entity shall 

12 submit to the Secretary as part of the application of 

13 the eligible entity under paragraph (1) a wildfire 

14 mitigation plan. 

15 (d) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—An eligible entity may 

16 use a grant provided under the program— 

17 (1) for the undergrounding of new and existing 

18 power lines and circuits; 

19 (2) to harden overhead power lines with fire re20 sistant equipment, such as steel poles and covered 

21 wires; 

22 (3) to install underground circuits; 

23 (4) to install fast-tripping protection systems; 

24 (5) to construct and operate 1 or more weather 

25 monitoring stations; 


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1 (6) to install fault location equipment; 

2 (7) for the relocation of power lines to road3 ways; 

4 (8) to carry out vegetation or fuels management 

5 activities in accordance with Federal, State, and 

6 local laws (including regulations); 

7 (9) for installation of cameras, sensors, or other 

8 technology that provides real-time information about 

9 conditions; and 

10 (10) for other, related electric grid upgrades to 

11 reduce the risk of wildfire ignition. 

12 (e) PRIORITY.—In making grants under the program, 

13 the Secretary shall give priority to projects that, in the 

14 determination of the Secretary, will generate the greatest 

15 community benefit in reducing the risk of wildfire ignition 

16 from power lines or equipment relative to the cost of the 

17 project. 

18 (f) SET ASIDE.—In making grants under the pro19 gram, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 20 per20 cent of the amounts made available to eligible entities 

21 under the program are made available to eligible entities 

22 that sell not more than 4,000,000 megawatt hours of elec23 tricity per year. 

24 (g) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), as a condition of receiving a grant under 

3 the program, an eligible entity shall provide match4 ing funds in the form of cash or an in-kind contribu5 tion in an amount equal to not less than 100 percent 

6 of the amounts made available under the grant. 

7 (2) EXCEPTION FOR SMALL UTILITIES.—With 

8 respect to an eligible entity that sells not more than 

9 4,000,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, as 

10 a condition of receiving a grant under the program, 

11 the eligible entity shall provide matching funds in 

12 the form of cash or an in-kind contribution in an 

amount equal to not less than 1 13 ⁄3 of the amounts 

14 made available under the grant. 

15 (3) EXISTING EFFORTS.—On approval by the 

16 Secretary, amounts expended by an eligible entity on 

17 wildfire risk mitigation efforts during the 1-year pe18 riod ending on the date on which a grant is received 

19 under the program shall count toward the matching 

20 requirement described in paragraph (1) or (2), as 

21 applicable. 

22 (h) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

23 the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there24 after, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on En25 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Dec 04, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4931.IS S4931

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1 mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep2 resentatives a report describing the quantity by which the 

3 risk of wildfires caused by power lines has been reduced 

4 under the program during the year covered by the report. 

5 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

6 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

7 out the program $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2022 through 2031. 

Æ 


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