U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to meet the nation’s growing demand for electricity by speeding up the permitting process and accelerating the deployment of innovative grid technologies.
“Electricity demand in Pennsylvania and across America is rising rapidly and that requires innovative solutions to strengthen our electric grid and cut through the bureaucracy that is holding us back,” said McCormick, who serves as Chair of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy.
Electricity demand is expected to increase by nearly 6 percent by 2030. According to the Department of Energy’s 2024 National Transmission Planning Study, the United States needs to build roughly 5,000 miles of new high-capacity transmission per year to ensure grid reliability, support economic growth, and deliver low-cost power to customers.
Toward that goal, McCormick has introduced the Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act of 2026, S. 3947. The bill would reduce permitting delays, incentivize advanced transmission upgrades, strengthen state grid planning, and accelerate the deployment of innovative grid technologies to both lower costs and improve grid reliability.
“The bipartisan REWIRE Act is exactly the kind of commonsense fix we need,” McCormick said. “It leverages existing infrastructure we already have, brings down costs, and stops years of unnecessary permitting delays from standing in the way of real progress.”
The REWIRE Act would streamline environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act for projects that increase grid capacity within existing rights-of-way, including the implementation of advanced conductors, and the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies and energy storage.
McCormick introduced the bipartisan legislation along with U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT).
Toby Z. Rice, president and CEO of EQT, noted that permitting reforms that allow upgrades within existing rights-of-way can open up more grid capacity more cost-effectively.
“This proposal addresses one component of a broader permitting challenge, and while there is more work to do, we support all pragmatic efforts that streamline unnecessarily burdensome processes and accelerate the delivery of reliable energy to the markets where it is needed most,” Rice said.
Other Pittsburgh energy industry leaders, including Eos Energy CEO Joe Mastrangelo, also support the legislation.
“As energy demand continues to rise, Eos stands ready to deliver American-made energy storage solutions that improve efficiency, accelerate speed-to-power, and enhance affordability for ratepayers—goals the REWIRE Act is designed to advance,” Mastrangelo said.