FERC to standardize utility forecasting; states retain final say on adoption.
H.R. 9332 — Load Forecasting Enhancement Act · Filed by Troy Balderson (R-OH) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 18, 2026 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish regional joint boards composed of state utility commissioners and FERC staff to study best practices in electric load forecasting—the process utilities use to predict future electricity demand. Within one year, FERC must report findings to Congress and recommend consistent practices across states. The bill then amends federal utility law to require state regulators to consider and adopt these recommendations, with a two-year deadline for states to make formal determinations on implementation.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is establishing a collaborative study process and then requiring state regulators to formally consider standardized load forecasting practices. It is fundamentally a transparency and best-practice coordination measure, not a deregulation, subsidy, or carve-out.
What the text implies
- The bill exempts nonregulated electric utilities (typically municipal and cooperative utilities) from the load forecasting standard, creating a two-tier system where only regulated utilities must adopt FERC recommendations—this may reduce transparency for a significant portion of the electricity market.
- State regulators retain discretion to reject FERC recommendations if they have already implemented comparable standards or conducted prior proceedings, which may fragment best practices across regions and undermine the bill's stated goal of consistency.
- The one-year reporting deadline is tight; FERC's ability to conduct meaningful regional studies and synthesize findings into actionable recommendations depends on adequate staffing and cooperation from state commissions, which is not guaranteed.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens benefit from more accurate and transparent electric load forecasting, which improves grid reliability, reduces unnecessary infrastructure costs passed to ratepayers, and enables better planning for economic development. The bill preserves state regulatory authority—states can reject recommendations if they conflict with local conditions—while creating a structured process to identify and share best practices that lower costs and improve service reliability.
Named in the bill
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), State utility commissions, Electric utilities (regulated and nonregulated), Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), Federal Power Act
Where it stands
6 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 3 Republicans.
- Jun 18, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 18, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy”
- Jun 24, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 47 - 0”
- Sep 15, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote”
- Sep 15, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
18 lobbying clients named this bill on 18 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $12,239,193 in lobbying spend. A filing names 46 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 96% of bills with at least one filing.
Troy Balderson, the sponsor, reported $1,174,882 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $10,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.
- American Petroleum Institute — $2,780,000 on 1 filing
- Duke Energy Corporation — $2,280,000 on 1 filing
- Edison Electric Institute — $1,689,193 on 1 filing
- Dow Chemical Company Dba Dow — $1,050,000 on 1 filing
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (nreca) — $980,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (6,558 characters) on Jul 9, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 22, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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