Power shutoff transparency bill puts wildfire-prevention data in public hands

What it does

This bill requires electric utilities serving 25,000+ customers (or smaller utilities in high-wildfire-risk areas) to report details of power shutoffs undertaken to prevent wildfires within 7 days of starting and ending each event. The Department of Energy will publish anonymized, aggregated summaries quarterly on a public website and share data with FEMA, HHS, the FCC, and state emergency agencies. Utilities are protected from liability and FOIA disclosure for the raw data they submit, but the public gets transparency through aggregated reports and local governments can submit feedback on impacts.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is mandatory reporting and public aggregation of power-shutoff data to improve emergency preparedness and accountability. The liability safe harbor is a secondary accommodation to utilities, not the bill's primary purpose.

What the text implies

• Utilities retain broad liability protection for raw shutoff data even when shared with federal and state agencies, potentially limiting regulatory or legal recourse if shutoffs are found to be unnecessary or poorly coordinated.
• The bill allows the Secretary to delay or withhold publication of aggregated summaries 'as necessary to protect security or other sensitive information,' creating discretion that could limit transparency if invoked broadly.
• Local governments and Tribal entities can submit feedback on shutoff impacts, but the guidance issued by DOE is explicitly nonbinding, limiting enforcement of best practices.
• Smaller utilities (<25,000 customers) are exempt unless they operate in high-wildfire-risk areas, potentially leaving shutoff events in lower-risk regions with smaller utilities unreported and invisible to the public.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens gain transparency into when and why power shutoffs occur, especially in vulnerable communities, enabling better preparedness and accountability. Utilities retain liability protection for raw data (a modest private benefit) but the public-interest mechanism—aggregated reporting, community feedback loops, and interagency coordination—outweighs the safe harbor, particularly given the bill's explicit focus on impacts to rural, low-income, and Tribal communities.

Who stands to gain

• electric utilities (liability protection for reported data)

Named in the bill

Department of Energy, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), National Interagency Fire Center, State regulatory authorities, State energy offices, State emergency management agencies, Covered electric utilities, Energy Information Administration

Where it stands

• Oct 19, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Oct 19, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.