Federal mandate locks utilities into fossil fuels, raising your electric bill
H.R. 3143 — State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act · Filed by Gabe Evans (R-CO) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced May 1, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal utility regulation to require electric utilities using long-term planning to ensure they maintain or procure 'reliable generation' — defined as power plants that can run continuously for 30+ days, have on-site fuel or fuel contracts, operate in emergencies, and provide grid support services. States must consider this standard within 1–2 years; utilities already meeting comparable standards are exempt. The bill effectively mandates that utilities plan for dispatchable, fuel-backed generation capacity rather than relying solely on intermittent renewables.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a regulatory requirement that utilities maintain or procure 'reliable generation'—a term defined to exclude intermittent renewables and effectively mandate dispatchable fossil-fuel, nuclear, or hydroelectric capacity. This is functionally a mandate favoring incumbent generation types over renewables, not a neutral reliability standard.
What the text implies
- The 30-day continuous fuel requirement and on-site fuel storage mandate effectively exclude solar and wind, which cannot meet this definition without battery storage—creating a regulatory barrier to renewables expansion.
- By requiring utilities to 'maintain' reliable generation (not just procure it), the bill may prevent retirement of aging coal and gas plants, locking in stranded assets and delaying infrastructure modernization.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
coal-fired power plants; natural gas utilities; nuclear power operators