Policy Resolution ETE-23-18

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes that an efficient electric grid is an important component of creating and maintaining access to clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy options for all consumers;

WHEREAS, investments in local infrastructure are creating a better quality of life for citizens, providing for the health, safety, and welfare of our communities; and particularly, fixed income, low-income, under-served and minority communities;

WHEREAS, the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) recognizes that electric transmission infrastructure and development are key to transport the clean energy necessary to support renewable energy expansion, to meet growing energy demands, and to maintain reliability;

WHEREAS, NBCSL recognizes that electric transmission infrastructure is the backbone of our nation’s energy grid and plays an import­ant role in facilitating a pathway to our clean energy future;

WHEREAS, the electric transmission system enables the delivery of lower cost and clean energy to customers and maintains reliability and resiliency, and further investments are needed to move the decentralized clean energy that is needed in the United States;

WHEREAS, electric transmission infrastructure investment is needed to maintain the reliability and resilience of the grid against extreme weather conditions and increasing security threats, as well as, meet the demands of customers and facilitate the transition to the clean energy economy; and

WHEREAS, after natural disasters like Hurricane Ida and the Ice Storm that affected Texas in 2021, it is apparent how unprepared our electrical grid is to the impending natural disasters that left millions of residents without power for extending periods of times for predictable natural disasters.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) will work with policymakers on the local, state, and federal levels to develop policies that facilitate and accelerate increased investment in electric transmission infrastructure to aid in clean energy adoption and reliability;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL encourages policies that address barriers to electric transmission infrastructure development to ensure that needed transmission gets built to help the nation achieve a clean energy future;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL supports the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act for their investment in transmission infrastructure, and further urges when implementing both laws that the relevant federal agencies make all possible efforts to fulfill Congressional will to encourage investment in communities of color;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL recognizes the crucial role played by electric energy companies in investing and developing the cost-effective transmission needed to meet local, state, and federal clean energy goals, while continuing to provide affordable and reliable electricity for consumers; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• Resolution ID: ETE-23-18
• Sponsored by: Rep. Barbara Ballard (KS)
• Policy Committee: Energy, Transportation, and Environment (ETE)