Transcript Highlights:

• power plants or windmills when when by power plants or windmills when when their<00:16:45.440><c> load
• is not being uh fully their load is not being uh fully utilized<00:16:48.759><c> it's</c><00:16:49.040
• in that they have advocated for the capability to expand energy generation to serve this expanded load
• need so uh we're a lonely voice load need so uh we're a lonely voice right<00:22:07.799><c> now</c><
• </c> bill um It also says uh and load bill um It also says uh and load estimation<05:50:49.798><c> and

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• There really isn't any excess capacity available for new large loads such as data centers.
• , computing loads that they need to meet.
• new large loads such as data centers.
• , but we also heard from data centers that they have vital loads, you know, computing loads that they
• We're experiencing rapid load growth across our system. Capacity shortfalls.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Energy Supply, Energy Conservation, and Energy Resilience

Summary: The Joint Committee on Energy Supply, Energy Conservation, and Energy Resilience opened by electing Senator Shewmake as chair and Representative Alex Ybarra as vice chair. Members then turned to a work session on data centers, transmission, and workforce issues, with the committee noting the statutory rotation of leadership and the urgency of these topics for 2026 and beyond. Kate Bruns and Glenn Blackman presented preliminary findings from the governor’s Data Center work group, which met from May through November and received more than 1,000 public comments. They said the group did not reach full consensus, but agreed Washington’s grid has limited excess capacity, data centers are expected to be a major source of future load growth, ratepayer protections and better load forecasting are important, and the state should preserve its energy and climate laws while seeking more clean power and transmission. They also described tribal consultation underway through the Department of Revenue, and noted that a proposed expansion of the data center sales tax exemption tied to new clean electricity narrowly failed and was left for the legislature to consider. The committee then heard from West Tech consultant Keegan Moyer on regional transmission planning. He described a broad Western transmission portfolio developed through interconnection-wide studies, including roughly 70-plus planned projects and additional upgrades totaling about 12,000 line miles and an estimated $56 billion. He said the West faces rapid load growth, reliability stress, and major transmission constraints, and that the portfolio is intended to support reliability, economic efficiency, and public policy goals. Members asked about crossing utility and market “seams,” state ownership or pre-permitting of corridors, and whether the process could speed interconnection delays; he said the main barriers are permitting, rights-of-way, and interconnection queues, not construction itself. Stephanie Scott then summarized the electrical transmission workforce needs study. She said the study focuses on substation technicians, line workers, and line clearance tree trimmers, and found that meeting Washington’s clean energy goals will require far more workers than current training pipelines produce. She emphasized that apprenticeship depends on active projects, that retirements are reducing experienced mentors, and that barriers such as costly CDL training, limited pre-apprenticeship access, and wraparound support needs must be addressed. The committee also heard from Brant Johnson of Grid United on barriers to new transmission, using the North Plains Connector as a case study. He described a long development process centered on early stakeholder engagement, tribal consultation, route changes, and coordinated federal and state permitting, and said the project has largely relied on private capital with a federal GRIP grant covering a portion of costs. Members discussed eminent domain, landowner compensation, financing, and whether similar approaches could help speed other transmission projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• load load there and needed to meet the load load there and like<00:30:06.320><c> that</c><00:30:06.480
• </c> to minimize the cost but meet the load to minimize the cost but meet the load uh<00:30:13.360><c
• Indications are that load growth is happening, so that's come into place.
• Load growth is not something that we're used to, frankly.
• Load is added incrementally, and it's added in the places where you already have load and generation,

Bills: HF75

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> without any al alternative base loads, without any al alternative base loads, you<00:29:46.159>
• It's one of the most common-sense base load energies, folks.
• > energies,</c> sense base load energies, sense base load energies, folks.<00:49:12.160><c> To</c><00
• And you might think I've been load.
• </c> providing inexpensive base load providing inexpensive base load electricity<00:55:43.200><c> so<

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> saying it needs to be overly loaded saying it needs to be overly loaded loaded,<00:21:47.440><c>
• First of all, for every eight loads you put on the road, you were removing one semi off the road.
• First of all, for every eight loads you put on the road, you were removing one semi off the road.
• First of all, for every eight loads you put on the road, you were removing one semi off the road.
• Half-loaded tanker, there's not a better amusement ride than that right there.

Committee: House Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> resource. um and and what's base load resource. um and and what's base load versus<00:42:28.800>
• that goes with large industrial loads and what it can mean to lose those loads.
• </c> So, uh data center load, it's complex. So, uh data center load, it's complex.
• Uh also upfront large smelter load.
• Um at curtailment before native load.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the previous meeting, and then heard a presentation from LG&E and KU representatives Caroline Clark and John Bevington on economic development, energy demand, and the utility’s role in supporting Kentucky’s growth. Bevington described the company’s service territory, generation fleet, and recent economic development activity, including 76 projects supported in 2024, more than $2.8 billion in private investment, and over 3,000 new jobs. He emphasized that data centers are now the dominant driver in the pipeline, with 22 data center projects representing about 8.7 of the 9.7 gigawatts of potential demand, alongside other manufacturing and commercial projects. A major focus was how data centers choose sites and how utilities respond. Bevington explained that hyperscale data centers typically approach utilities first because they need transmission-level access, and that utilities then conduct internal analyses, estimate infrastructure needs, and require financial security before proceeding. He said the company is working through formal transmission studies and long-lead infrastructure planning, and noted that Kentucky’s sales tax exemption for data centers helped attract interest. He also outlined the economic benefits of data centers, citing an announced Louisville project of 525 megawatts and about $11 billion in investment, with an estimated $500 million in new tax revenue over 10 years, plus broader job and GDP impacts. Members asked about whether data centers could generate their own power, the reliability of the pipeline numbers given confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, and cybersecurity concerns. Bevington said the company does not assume all pipeline projects will materialize in Kentucky and instead assigns probabilities to avoid overbuilding. He also said he was not the right person to address cybersecurity in detail but offered to return to a committee focused on IT or security. In response to questions about future supply, he said LG&E and KU are adding generation through a 120-megawatt solar facility in Mercer County, a 120-megawatt solar purchase in Marion County, and a 645-megawatt natural gas combined-cycle plant in Louisville, with PSC approval recently granted for additional generation and related system upgrades.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, what you have before you is a large load legislation.
• in existing load, they would not be affected, but any new loads coming on would be.
• sure that they carry the load.
• We're trying to address these new large loads of 500 or 1,000 megawatts.
• , irrigators have not changed their loads over the last 50 or so years.

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• TREATING WATER COMING OFF OF THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA AND AS YOU CAN SEE WE SEE SIGNIFICANT LOAD
• OFF OF THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA AND AS YOU CAN SEE WE SEE SIGNIFICANT LOAD REDUCTION.
• OVER 80 PERCENT OF PHOSPHORUS LOAD PRODUCTION OCCURS FROM WATER AS IT GOES INTO THE STA THEN OUT INTO
• YOU ARE RECOGNIZED. >> IN LAKE OKEECHOBEE WE HAVE WATER QUALITY STANDARD AND MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD THAT
• WE HAVE REDUCED THE NUTRIENT LOADING BY OVER 30 PERCENT. CLOSE TO 40 PERCENT.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a second piece, which is the emergency load reduction piece and the CalSHAPE piece.
• The emergency load reduction piece and the CalSHAPE piece, and I believe that's the piece perhaps my
• And so the emergency load reduction program or demand-side grid support program will not function as
• And so the emergency load reduction program or demand-side grid support program will not function as
• But I would imagine that all the load-serving agencies, when we talk about resource adequacy and all

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy heard six budget-related items and took no votes, holding all items open for a future hearing. The first item concerned a climate bond expenditure plan for the California Transmission Accelerator Revolving Fund under SB 254. GoBiz, IBank, and the Department of Finance described a request for nearly $26 million and 10 limited-term positions to develop financing strategies and evaluate transmission projects, while the LAO said the proposal was broadly consistent with Prop. 4 but noted that the Legislature may want to provide more direction on program design. Senators questioned how the proposal would lower ratepayer costs, protect state funds, and ensure accountability for billion-dollar transmission projects. The second item covered trailer bill language to redirect funding among demand-side reliability programs. Finance proposed moving $22 million from the DEPA program to DSGS for summer 2026 and using CalSHAPE interest funds for ELRP or an equivalent CPUC program in 2027-28, with CEC and CPUC coordinating the transition. Senators and LAO questioned why CalSHAPE funds should not continue supporting schools, and several members argued DSGS has been more successful and should continue rather than be shifted to ELRP. CEC and CPUC explained that DSGS and ELRP serve different reliability functions and do not address public safety power shutoffs. Public commenters, including school groups and clean energy advocates, split between extending CalSHAPE for school HVAC/plumbing projects and preserving or expanding DSGS. The committee also heard on petroleum market oversight implementation under SBX1-2 and ABX2-1, with the CEC and its Division of Petroleum Market Oversight requesting additional staffing to support inventory monitoring, refinery resupply analysis, and market oversight. Senators pressed for details on investigations, refinery margins, gasoline price spikes, and the transportation fuels transition plan, while staff said the draft plan would be released soon and that DPMO’s work on branded versus unbranded gasoline remains ongoing. Finally, the CPUC presented three additional proposals: implementing AB 1207’s climate credit reforms, studying large-load/data center cost impacts under SB 57, and preparing for regional market participation under AB 825. The LAO repeatedly cautioned that some of these requests may go beyond statutory minimums and urged the Legislature to decide how much policy direction and staffing it wants to provide. Public commenters supported DPMO funding, opposed ending CalSHAPE, and strongly favored continued DSGS funding over a new ELRP structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other part is to reduce the peak, right, with, you know, we call load flexibility.
• So far, load flexibility has usually been done systemwide at peak demand, right?
• new customer load to be powered up sooner without overloading the distribution grid.
• that new load online.
• I just will make a quick comment because you said load shifting wasn't very sexy.

Summary: The committee heard several energy and water affordability bills, with extensive testimony on SB 254 by Senator Becker, SB 541 by Senator Becker, SB 453 by Senator Stern, SB 292 by Senator Caballero, and SB 473 by Senator Padilla. SB 254 was presented as a broad utility affordability package addressing short-term climate credits, a Power Fund, tighter scrutiny of rate increases and utility profits, wildfire spending, securitization of future utility costs, and streamlining. Supporters, including TURN and several environmental and public power groups, said it could lower bills and reduce long-term costs; opponents from investor-owned utilities, labor, business, and local government raised concerns about market impacts, insufficient analysis, and the breadth of the bill. The committee approved SB 254 on a 6-3 vote and placed it on call. SB 541 focused on load flexibility and using existing grid capacity more efficiently. Senator Becker described it as a transparency and planning measure to identify cost-effective load shifting and reduce peak demand, while supporters said it could improve resiliency and save money. Several CCAs and utilities opposed the bill in print or unless amended, arguing that some language implied a mandate and that the concept needed more cost-effectiveness analysis; the author said amendments would remove language dividing the state goal among retail suppliers and clarify that the bill is not a procurement mandate. The committee passed SB 541 as amended to Appropriations on a 9-1 vote and left it on call. SB 453 by Senator Stern would return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid program dollars and was described as a way to keep the lights on and redirect unused funds. It drew support from local government and environmental groups, with PG&E expressing concern about how the bill would affect its ability to spend awarded funds. The committee passed SB 453 as amended to Appropriations on a 12-0 vote. SB 292 by Senator Caballero would require more granular outage and reliability reporting, including census-tract-level data, to better inform resilience planning after PSPS events; utilities opposed unless amended, citing duplicative reporting and regulatory overlap, but the bill passed 12-0 to Appropriations. SB 473 by Senator Padilla would require or expand water utility decoupling to promote conservation and affordability. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, business, and local government groups, argued decoupling stabilizes revenue, supports conservation, and can keep rates lower for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office opposed, saying prior pilot data showed no conservation benefit and about $1 billion in added costs, and that the CPUC had already rejected similar requests. Committee members questioned the conservation and capital-investment effects of the different rate structures; the author and supporters argued decoupling helps utilities fund infrastructure while allowing lower fixed charges for low-use customers. The transcript ends during that discussion, before a final vote on SB 473 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• a big deal, and there's a load factor in here.
• of which is load factor.
• That's new load that's coming on to the system.
• That's new load that's coming on to the system.
• We, with a heavy base load...

Committee: House Utilities

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a very reliable base load source of energy for us.
• That's mainly been driven historically by Bakken load.
• And that load study will identify the amount of load that can be served under various contingency scenarios
• Your actual load that you have, is it fairly equal?
• It allows those to run up to the point where the load is met.

Committee: Joint Energy Development and Transmission Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> prime hours, we have a 100% of our load prime hours, we have a 100% of our load filled<00:11:12.079
• And now the shed load to to balance.
• and loads that have to be served.
• and loads that have to be served.
• and loads that have to be served.

Bills: SCR48 , SCR28 , SCR74 , SCR62 , SCR60 , SCR89 , SCR147 , SCR179 , SCR182 , SCR59 , SCR54 , SCR180

Keywords: affordable housing, housing credits, perpetual credits, development, Hawaii Housing Finance, Vietnam veterans, commemorative medal, recognition, working group, Hawaii, no-bid contracts, emergency procurement, audit, state agencies, public funds, accountability, emergency response, disability access, 911 systems, life-saving measures

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, we've seen a huge load growth need for more supplies to meet the demands of data centers
• Additionally, we've seen a huge<00:02:25.040><c> load</c><00:02:25.520><c> growth</c><00:02:26.480><c
• > need</c><00:02:26.720><c> for</c><00:02:26.879><c> more</c><00:02:27.200><c> supplies</c> huge load
• As a practical matter, to meet load.
• </c> just to be able to meet natural load just to be able to meet natural load growth.<00:10:07.920><

Committee: House Natural Resources & Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• Are overweight. According to the CDC, 46% of men suffer with obesity in the U.S.

Bills: HR480 , HR481 , HR488 , HB2035 , HR252 , HB1948 , HR1373 , HR1182 , HR248 , HR137 , HB2390 , HB2351

Keywords: House of Representatives, congressional training, workplace rights, workplace responsibilities, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, sexual harassment training, employee training, Member orientation, House Administration Committee, Congressional Accountability Act, CAA, interns, unpaid interns, fellows, detailees, legislative workplace, congressional offices, compliance training, ethics training

Transcript Highlights:

• The current law allows an ATV to have a loaded firearm on it but not a round in the chamber.
• You're allowed to have a loaded handgun on you with a round chambered.
• The current law allows an ATV to have a loaded firearm on it but not a round in the chamber.
• You're allowed to have a loaded handgun on you with a round chambered.
• handgun on you with a have a loaded handgun on you with a round<00:48:24.800><c> chambered.

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• The other part is to reduce the peak, right, with, you know, we call load flexibility.
• The other part is to reduce the peak, right, with, you know, we call load flexibility.
• So far, load flexibility has usually been done systemwide at peak demand, right?
• new customer load to be powered up sooner without overloading the distribution grid.
• I just will make a quick comment because you said load shifting wasn't very sexy.

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Summary: The committee heard a series of energy and utility bills focused largely on affordability, reliability, wildfire costs, grid flexibility, and water rates. SB 254 by Senator Becker drew the most extensive discussion. Becker described it as a broad affordability package that would provide customer credits, create a Power Fund to move certain costs out of rates, tighten scrutiny of utility spending and profits, expand wildfire cost review, and use securitization and public financing to lower long-term costs. TURN and many environmental and public power groups supported the bill, while investor-owned utilities, labor, business groups, counties, and others opposed or opposed unless amended, arguing it did not adequately address underlying cost drivers and needed more analysis. The committee passed SB 254 on a 6-3 vote, with the bill held on call. SB 541, also by Senator Becker, focused on load flexibility and better use of existing grid capacity. Becker and economist Ryan Hledick said the bill would increase transparency on load-shifting progress and direct the CPUC to develop a strategy to capture distribution-level savings by shifting demand away from peak hours. Support came from labor, environmental, solar, storage, and demand-management groups, while CCAs, utilities, and public power agencies raised concerns that the bill could be read as a mandate and needed clearer amendments. After the author described amendments to remove language dividing the state goal among suppliers and to add cost-effectiveness and lessons learned from prior programs, the committee passed the bill 9-1 on call. The committee also approved SB 453 by Senator Stern, which would help return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid money and support keeping the lights on in at-risk communities. PG&E expressed a concern about timing but no opposition, and local government and environmental groups supported the measure; it passed 12-0. SB 292 by Senator Svantes focused on PSPS and outage data reporting at the census-tract level to better target resilience investments. Supporters said more granular data would improve planning and equity, while utilities sought to avoid duplicative reporting; the bill passed 12-0. Finally, SB 473 by Senator Padilla addressed water affordability and conservation by requiring the CPUC to allow water utility decoupling. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, cities, and business and environmental groups, argued decoupling promotes conservation and can lower bills for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District opposed, saying prior CPUC studies found no conservation benefit and higher costs under the full RAM mechanism. Members debated the evidence and rate-setting process, and the bill was moved out on a 12-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, there's only a certain amount of load that can absorb other DR on the system.
• You know, there's only a certain amount of load that can absorb other DR on the system.
• You know, there's only a certain amount of load that can absorb other DR on the system.
• You know, there's only a certain amount of load that can absorb other DR on the system.
• You know, there's only a certain amount of load that can absorb other DR on the system.

Bills: SB2671 , SB2902

Committee: Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs heard two measures. SB 2671, relating to essential permitting positions, drew no oral testimony beyond written comments from the Department of the Attorney General and the Office of Planning. The chair said the bill was intended to make government more efficient and reduce red tape in the permitting process. SB 2902, relating to renewable energy, received testimony from the Division of Consumer Advocacy, the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, the Public Utilities Commission, Kauai Island Cooperative, Bright Saver, and 350 Hawaii. Supporters described the bill as a way to expand access to plug-in or balcony solar, lower electricity bills, improve resilience, and broaden access for renters and apartment residents. Several testifiers urged amendments to avoid limiting the measure to condominiums, to remove condominium board approval language, and to eliminate utility or PUC registration requirements. The PUC said registration could help with safety, linemen protection, and circuit hosting-capacity concerns, and noted that improper installation or oversizing could create problems. After a brief recess, the committee voted to recommend both bills for passage with amendments and deferred each to April 19, 2042. The recommendations were adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I don't need everybody coming down to load up on our gas and then going back home.
• factor customers in load growth projections for the integrated resource plan.
• Just by talking about data centers specifically, we're leaving out all kinds of other large loads.
• incredibly large loads.
• So those would be considered large loads, and all those large-load customers should be treated the same

Committee: House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee took up several energy, transportation, and land-use bills. HB 2428, dealing with county and ADEQ authority to issue voluntary permits certifying emission reduction credits for mobile and non-road sources, received neutral testimony from ADEQ and support from Maricopa County; the committee adopted the Griffin amendment and passed the bill 10-0 with a due pass recommendation. HB 2145, which expands who may request certain gasoline fuel reformulation actions and is contingent on EPA approval, also passed on a 5-4 vote after brief staff explanation and no amendment. The committee then considered HB 2331, a strike-everything amendment requiring electric utilities to ensure 85% of generating capacity serving retail load comes from “reliable resources” by 2030. Supporters, including the sponsor and Arizona Free Enterprise Club, argued it would protect affordability and grid reliability by favoring dispatchable power; opponents, including the Sierra Club and Rural Arizona Action, said it would effectively favor fossil fuels, raise costs, and limit cleaner resources. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill 6-4. HB 2795, which would bar counties from using zoning to block small modular reactors once federal permitting conditions are met, drew strong support from the sponsor and industry advocates who framed it as pro-property-rights and pro-nuclear, and opposition from county, city, and environmental groups who raised preemption, local control, safety, waste, and siting concerns; it passed 6-4. The committee also passed HB 2340, which allows the Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee to evaluate proposed generating facilities along with transmission lines, on a 5-4 vote. HB 2400, an emergency measure to suspend the motor vehicle fuel tax in Areas A and C during part of the year and replace the lost revenue through state highway funding, drew opposition from cities and counties over transportation funding impacts but support from the sponsor and some members focused on gas affordability; the Griffin amendment was adopted and the bill passed 6-4. Finally, HB 2401 was introduced as a requirement for ADEQ to conduct a biennial review of available fuel formulations and their air-quality impacts in Areas A and C, but the transcript ends before testimony or action on that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor requested funds to address local bridges that were in poor condition or posted with load
• The goal again is to repair or replace those bridges that were in poor condition or posted with load
• We have restored access for load restrictions for agriculture, recreation, regular vehicular travel,
• When there is a critical finding that leads to a closure or a real drastic load restriction, we're able
• We have restored access for load restrictions for agriculture, recreation, regular, vehicular travel

Committee: Senate Transportation