Disaster Safe Power Grid Act of 2021
Bill: S.704 | Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron (D-OR)
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Disaster Safe Power Grid Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish within its Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability a grant program that provides incentives for electric utilities to increase the resiliency of the power grid to withstand natural disasters and reduce the risk of wildfires.

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to 
   improve the resiliency of the power grid to natural disasters and 
   reduce the risk of wildfires caused by power lines, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Disaster Safe Power Grid Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        electric utility, including--
                    (A) a publicly owned electric utility;
                    (B) a municipal electric utility;
                    (C) a cooperatively owned electric utility;
                    (D) an investor-owned electric utility; and
                    (E) a Federal agency or federally owned corporation 
                that is an electric utility (as defined in section 3 of 
                the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796)).
            (2) Power line.--The term ``power line'' includes a 
        transmission line or a distribution line, as applicable.
            (3) Program.--The term ``program'' means the program 
        established under subsection (b).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
    (b) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish within the Office 
of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability a program under which 
the Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities to carry out 
activities that--
            (1) are supplemental to existing power grid-hardening 
        efforts of the eligible entity planned for any given year;
            (2) are designed to enhance public safety; and
            (3)(A) reduce the risk of any power lines owned or operated 
        by the eligible entity causing a wildfire; or
            (B) increase the resiliency of the power grid to withstand 
        natural disasters, such as earthquakes, ice storms, wind 
        storms, snow storms, heat storms, and other natural disasters.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under 
        the program shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may require.
            (2) Requirement.--As a condition of receiving a grant under 
        the program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary 
        as part of the application of the eligible entity under 
        paragraph (1)--
                    (A) a wildfire mitigation plan, if the eligible 
                entity seeks a grant for purposes of implementing a 
                project or otherwise carrying out activities to reduce 
                wildfire risk, as described in subsection (b)(3)(A); or
                    (B) a report detailing past, current, and future 
                efforts by the eligible entity to improve the 
                resiliency of the power grid with respect to natural 
                disasters, if the eligible entity seeks a grant for 
                purposes of increasing the resiliency of the power 
                grid, as described in subsection (b)(3)(B).
    (d) Use of Grant Funds.--An eligible entity may use a grant 
provided under the program--
            (1) for the undergrounding of new and existing power lines 
        and circuits;
            (2) to harden overhead power lines with fire resistant or 
        more resilient equipment, such as steel poles and covered 
        wires;
            (3) to replace obsolete overhead conductors and underground 
        cables;
            (4) to install fast-tripping protection systems;
            (5) to construct and operate 1 or more weather monitoring 
        stations;
            (6) to install fault location equipment or early fault 
        detection equipment;
            (7) for the relocation of power lines to roadways;
            (8) to carry out vegetation or fuels management activities 
        in accordance with Federal, State, and local laws (including 
        regulations);
            (9) to install technology or equipment to mitigate hazards 
        from or to animals and related damage to the power grid;
            (10) to install cameras, sensors, or other technology that 
        provides real-time information about conditions;
            (11) to install technology to detect downed conductors;
            (12) for the installation of electrical facilities 
        necessary to sustain targeted microgrid operations, including 
        storage for the integration of distributed energy resources 
        into power grid operations, for the benefit of community 
        resiliency following a main power grid outage;
            (13) to harden facilities, substations, and other systems 
        for seismic events; and
            (14) for other, related power grid upgrades to reduce the 
        risk of wildfire ignition or damage from natural disasters.
    (e) Priority.--In making grants under the program, the Secretary 
shall give priority to projects that, in the determination of the 
Secretary, will generate the greatest community benefit in improving 
power grid resiliency to natural disasters or reducing the risk of 
wildfire ignition from power lines or equipment relative to the cost of 
the project.
    (f) Set Asides.--
            (1) Wildfire set aside.--In making grants under the 
        program, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 40 
        percent of the total amounts made available to eligible 
        entities under the program are made available to eligible 
        entities that seek a grant for purposes of implementing a 
        project or otherwise carrying out activities to reduce wildfire 
        risk, as described in subsection (b)(3)(A).
            (2) Small utilities set aside.--In making grants under the 
        program, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 20 
        percent of the amounts made available to eligible entities 
        under the program are made available to eligible entities that 
        sell not more than 4,000,000 megawatt hours of electricity per 
        year.
    (g) Matching Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), as a 
        condition of receiving a grant under the program, an eligible 
        entity shall provide matching funds in the form of cash or an 
        in-kind contribution in an amount equal to not less than 100 
        percent of the amounts made available under the grant.
            (2) Exception for small utilities.--With respect to an 
        eligible entity that sells not more than 4,000,000 megawatt 
        hours of electricity per year, as a condition of receiving a 
        grant under the program, the eligible entity shall provide 
        matching funds in the form of cash or an in-kind contribution 
        in an amount equal to not less than \1/3\ of the amounts made 
        available under the grant.
            (3) Existing efforts.--On approval by the Secretary, 
        amounts expended by an eligible entity on power grid resiliency 
        or wildfire risk mitigation efforts during the 1-year period 
        ending on the date on which a grant is received under the 
        program shall count toward the matching requirement described 
        in paragraph (1) or (2), as applicable.
    (h) Federal Power Marketing Administrations.--Any amounts made 
available to a Federal power marketing administration pursuant to a 
grant under the program shall be nonreimbursable.
    (i) Biennial Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives a report describing the manner in which, and the extent 
to which--
            (1) the resiliency of the power grid has increased under 
        the program during the period covered by the report; and
            (2) the risk of wildfires caused by power lines has been 
        reduced under the program during the period covered by the 
        report.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program $10,000,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2031.
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