Bill > S848

This bill, titled the Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2015, aims to clarify that actions taken to comply with an emergency order issued under the Federal Power Act, which is a law governing the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity in the United States, will not be considered a violation of any environmental laws or regulations at the federal, state, or local level. Specifically, if an emergency order requires actions that conflict with environmental requirements, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees the Federal Power Act, must ensure the order is limited to the time needed to address the emergency and is as consistent as possible with environmental laws, while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Furthermore, any actions taken to comply with such an emergency order, even if they would normally violate environmental laws, will not be subject to penalties or legal challenges under those environmental laws. These emergency orders, when they conflict with environmental laws, will expire within 90 days but can be renewed for additional 90-day periods if necessary, with FERC required to consult with relevant environmental agencies and incorporate conditions to mitigate environmental harm unless doing so would prevent the emergency from being addressed. The bill also makes a minor technical change to allow municipalities to temporarily connect to or construct facilities under certain circumstances related to emergency orders.