Walberg, Dingell Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Ease Paperwork Burdens, Lower Energy Costs

Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Representatives Tim Walberg (MI-07) and Debbie Dingell (MI-12), members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, today introduced bipartisan legislation to help reduce unnecessary paperwork burdens and bring down energy prices for Michigan families.

H.R. 1109 amends the Federal Power Act to establish a minimum monetary threshold of $10 million before a merger or consolidation of facilities under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) jurisdiction is subject to a review. Adjusting this threshold brings mergers or consolidations into line with the same standard for other categories of transactions that FERC oversees and will allow energy producers to focus on providing affordable energy rather than dedicating time and resources to redundant government red tape.

“The cost of energy plays a big part in the family budget each month,” said Walberg. “This bill will help free up energy producers to focus their resources on giving consumers access to affordable and reliable energy, instead of getting caught up in unnecessary and unintended red tape. It is a common sense legislative fix and an important step to help ensure affordable energy for families in Michigan and across the country.”

“This common sense bill ultimately helps consumers by expediting upgrades to the electrical grid while still providing important transparency,” Dingell said.

Representatives Richard Hudson (NC-08) and Jerry McNerney (CA-09) are also original co-sponsors of the bipartisan legislation.

Congressman Walberg serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. For more information on Walberg’s work in Congress visit walberg.house.gov.