House passes bill to allow FERC to keep power plants from closing

Source: Roll Call

Posted December 16, 2025 at 8:13pm


The House passed a bill Tuesday that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority to require retiring power plants to remain open if their closure could pose reliability concerns.

Under the bill, known as the Power Plant Reliability Act, FERC would determine whether a plant scheduled to retire should remain open if a complaint has been filed by a potentially affected state commission. If FERC finds a power plant closure could contribute to reliability issues within five years of the complaint, the commission could require the plant to stay open for up to five years. Facilities trying to comply with such an order would be exempt from related environmental regulations.

“When a state seeks to close a power plant without identifying sufficient replacement, there is little recourse for affected households in neighboring states that need the power,” Bob Latta, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, said on the House floor. “The Power Plant Reliability Act solves this by providing a bridge solution to maintain generating resources until sufficient capacity can come online to fill the gap.”

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., passed by a vote of 222-202.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2025/12/16/house-passes-bill-to-allow-ferc-to-keep-power-plants-from-closing/