[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",5983440,"mediaKeyId","5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b","parentId",5882579,"title","Rules Committee hears sharply divided views on bills to speed projects, reinstate coal council and streamline cross‑border permits","audioSeconds",2257,"startMs",293000,"endMs",2550000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b&start=293&end=2550","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b/thumbnail_293000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5983440/Rules-Committee-hears-sharply-divided-views-on-bills-to-speed-projects-reinstate-coal-council-and-streamline-crossborder-permits","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5983440-725b495637ecf2f1e26ac086cc24b7a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1779023556&Signature=l9Ju5YHDVgTeD3BzlyG5ZnO-OSGv1ySV3ZRm6P5Hvnws4LucnjSLcHOqJy~z2oZmFOoTVMoA99ppoyVkmwkKZ9vQxTpUBXJAtNWeWvss3sCYK44d62Yv2KmBi8~ahdc1TQRc9SCDBk1U9QeKURDG~0GDNd99~0fq9Be4ZCx5NY6FM8DGgaVz7XwbXAI7dXkZp41dTZqYtAVWRevfCJlIjoxkOjqZUvCcLVlMXaDXzt7X8TNNshSLMQ7FEIzj0msS77xS6DWjjut~nVl4lOETF~ODT1WtcOnGde453NFyY8oEByQtyt~dcEgO9laU9aFlHrAl00oiPhXyWnblg3Rd3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Rules","date","2025-09-16T09:48:36Z","article","The House Rules Committee on [date not specified] heard competing testimony on three energy bills that would affect grid reliability, coal policy and permitting for cross‑border energy projects.

Representative Latta, testifying for the Committee on Energy and Commerce, told the Rules Committee that HR 1047 (the Bridal Power Act), HR 3015 (the National Coal Council Reestablishment Act) and HR 3062 (the Promoting Cross‑Border Energy Infrastructure Act) would speed delivery of dispatchable generation and create clearer permitting paths. “All 3 bills are aimed at unleashing our nation's abundant natural abundant natural resources and establishing more efficient and modern processes for the delivery of affordable energy and grid reliability,” Representative Latta said.

The bills, Latta said, would: give grid operators new tools to prioritize resources that provide “essential reliability services”; codify an advisory National Coal Council as statutory policy; and create a statutory review process — replacing the current patchwork that relies on presidential permits and multiple agency reviews — for international oil, gas and transmission facilities. “As energy demand grows, it is important that a consistent statutorily directed process is in place to allow the efficient permitting of infrastructure and to lower prices for consumers,” he testified.

Representative Menendez, appearing as the panel’s Democratic witness, strongly criticized the package and tied it to wider Republican energy policies. “These next few years, if your lights flicker, if your air conditioning goes out in the summer, or heating goes out in the winter, that's Republicans' fault, madam chair,” he said. Menendez said rolling back clean‑energy policies and reinstating fossil‑fuel preferences would increase costs and emissions, citing a forecast that families could pay about $300 more per year and an estimate of $52 billion more on energy over a decade in one cited analysis. He also said recent administration actions have canceled offshore wind projects that New England’s grid operator had counted on.

Committee members questioned witnesses about specific claims and policy mechanics. Representative Neguse pressed on the need for statutory codification of the National Coal Council, noting that the Trump administration had issued an executive action reestablishing a coal council in June but, he said, “They have not named any members. They have not named a chair.” Latta responded that statutory authorization would provide greater permanence and assurance of the council’s work.

Testimony included several quantitative claims and contextual figures (attributed below to the speakers who made them): Latta said coal makes “approximately 16% of our nation's electric generation”; he also cited a 2024 figure that U.S. energy trade with North American partners exceeded $1,000,000,000,000. Menendez described a forecast that the reconciliation bill would “prevent over 300 gigawatts of power from coming on the grid” and cited studies projecting higher household bills and higher national emissions if clean‑energy incentives are removed.

The witnesses also differed on how HR 1047 would interact with existing interconnection processes: Latta described the bill as “fuel neutral” and focused on prioritizing resources that provide reliability services, while Menendez argued it could allow operators to favor fossil‑fuel plants and remove “just and reasonable” review standards from certain queue changes.

No formal committee votes on the energy measures occurred during the witness testimony; the panel concluded the energy portion after questions and yielded to the next panel.

Why it matters: These bills address core federal roles — how the grid is managed, how advisory bodies are chartered, and how cross‑border infrastructure is permitted — and the committee hearing highlighted a partisan split over whether the measures would shore up reliability or favor fossil fuels at the expense of cleaner, lower‑cost resources.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the Rules Committee hearing and are listed in the speakers section below. No facts are asserted here beyond what those witnesses and members said at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 1047, 3062, 3015, 4922, 5143, 5140, 5125","oneSentenceSummary","The House Rules Committee on [date not specified] heard competing testimony on three energy bills that would affect grid reliability, coal policy and permitting for cross‑border energy projects.","taxTitle","Rules: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1984,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},5983435,"Committee debate splits over bills that would change DC juvenile sentencing, police chase rules and judicial appointments",345,2587000,2932000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b&start=2587&end=2932","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b/thumbnail_2587000.jpg","/articles/5983435/Committee-debate-splits-over-bills-that-would-change-DC-juvenile-sentencing-police-chase-rules-and-judicial-appointments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5983435-ef40982678d92cf43d3d5f1503587193/orig.mp4?Expires=1779023556&Signature=DLhl8poIHQURc7x~VZMDsmPebWVAaB4WpJ-Tc~h0eDYy8QD2j7fQ4-H5hwitiX~fPT0Tt6NFv6BuLWmTxAbH7rYV426k8trV3RDrw3KK3xWCzlbAqhAdul~sJZOH6cU7nDHE04zG0s65DOqF29w2nZwQNeiWqH1ZGq2H2OrynsjWUUDVUroZbisC7M8ah89f2z1xYXdGR9Omorci5pcRm0TMcPz3Z9O6yST3d9qmVYx4948ElkkVdJ~fc~dmeF1ugDq0TGP~17pTNjF4Jp50x0L2OueHutjkT9U5j6ysUzHHXEIFSGFEMsm4yZ2eV0OnZFysLzjdZLGHiSkuh8gZpA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Rules Committee on [date not specified] considered testimony on four Oversight Committee bills that would alter District of Columbia governance over juvenile sentencing, police pursuits and judicial appointments.

Representative Higgins, testifying for the Oversight Committee, urged the Rules Committee to grant prompt rules for HR 4922 (District of Columbia Crimes Act), HR 5143 (District of Columbia Police and Protection Act), HR 5140 (District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act) and HR 5125 (District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act). He said juvenile crime in the District has “more than doubled the national average as of February 2024” and argued the bills are needed to restore accountability and public safety. Higgins described HR 4922 as narrowing the definition of a youth offender from under age 25 to under age 18, would require the DC attorney general to publish juvenile crime data, and would otherwise restrict judicial discretion in sentencing some young adults. He said HR 5143 would amend the Comprehensive Police and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 to permit pursuits in more circumstances, and HR 5140 would lower the age at which juveniles can be tried as adults for certain violent crimes to 14 years old. HR 5125 would change the judicial appointment process for local DC judges to mirror federal nomination and Senate confirmation procedures.

Ranking Member Garcia strongly opposed the package as an intrusion on local self‑government. “DC is not a state and we're surely not debating statehood here today,” Garcia said, but added that “DC's government is and should be held accountable to the people who live here and local leaders should be empowered to solve problems without congress interfering.” Garcia said the bills would “attack DC's right to self governance,” and highlighted that DC residents, the mayor and the DC Council oppose the measures. She also said many of the policies the bills would roll back were developed through public hearings and community engagement.

The panel’s exchanges underlined substantive differences: Higgins described the bills as restoring “law and order” and argued that lenient local policies had led to increased juvenile offending and difficulties retaining police officers. He told the committee juveniles are not “imprisoned in adult jails” under the proposals but could be prosecuted in adult court and transferred if incarcerated. Garcia and other Democrats countered that punitive measures targeting teenagers, including trying some as young as 14, would deepen racial disparities; Garcia said “More than 90% of DC youth who are involved and who are before our courts ... are black.”

Members raised procedural questions as well. Representative McGovern asked whether the Oversight Committee had held hearings on the specific bills and noted an Oversight hearing with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson and DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb was scheduled for Thursday; Representative Higgins said the committee’s work included many hearings on crime but that some members were new to the committee.

Why it matters: The package would change the District’s local legal and policing rules and raises the constitutional tension between Congress’s oversight authority under the Home Rule Act and DC’s local self‑government. Supporters argue the bills would deter repeat offenders and protect residents and visitors; opponents say they circumvent the District’s elected officials and risk increasing racial disparities and harming prevention and rehabilitation efforts.

No floor actions were taken during the testimony; the Oversight witnesses asked the Rules Committee to grant prompt rules for floor consideration.","The House Rules Committee on [date not specified] considered testimony on four Oversight Committee bills that would alter District of Columbia governance over juvenile sentencing, police pursuits and judicial appointments.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},5983430,"Rules Committee approves closed rules for energy and DC bills after rejecting three Democratic amendments",755,5525000,6280000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b&start=5525&end=6280","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5882579-07104c63dc93c170b9f6374a7b74f41b/thumbnail_5525000.jpg","/articles/5983430/Rules-Committee-approves-closed-rules-for-energy-and-DC-bills-after-rejecting-three-Democratic-amendments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5983430-4af89e91b035fdd6a61dd90fb598cce8/orig.mp4?Expires=1779023556&Signature=e2rEXNuVWhMHNyJvYELb-mUrnM1hM5W~5ORZ-k8a4~YhHFqHP39aGsaR~afS5Ux-ybbPIAFuWVsfYuoLVmmsFXarbWZ6VqLE8cYR-1aZ4uZHYK8jzGkUk4hJjWA3hcCjarBn0TfM3JhOvJV246Eys16pg8Abw3Hnfkr2fAsuP1N~FmN0GeQWcgSVLOZuaIYzDWeG7jIbDehvTQq2i5CQA~cxnuSyzCkQbXP700lhuB9W0bz1nbDxPyYGCWUEdCh5IQM3147Z~NFbOvKDh~vZwTjcfHBAtUQ88wnp1Ko7fZOVWxFoTbWluRUxTgNyL5swqiO8MQ417Wm4lexgzbR2vQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Rules Committee on [date not specified] adopted a closed rule that will govern floor consideration of multiple energy and District of Columbia measures after rejecting three amendments offered by Democrats.

Representative Langworthy moved the rule, which — as presented in committee — would grant closed rules for Oversight Committee bills HR 4922, HR 5143, HR 5140 and HR 5125 and, under separate closed rules, provide for floor consideration of Energy and Commerce bills HR 1047 (Guaranteeing Reliability Through the Interconnection of Dispatchable Power Act), HR 3015 (National Coal Council Reestablishment Act) and HR 3062 (Promoting Cross‑Border Energy Infrastructure Act). The motion text says the rules would waive points of order, deem committee substitute amendments adopted, provide one hour of general debate on each bill (divided between the committee chair and ranking member of the committee of jurisdiction), and provide one motion to recommit for each bill.

Representative McGovern offered three separate amendments to the committee rule and sought roll call votes on each: (1) strike sections 9–11 (which he described as blocking privileged consideration of resolutions relating to tariffs on certain trading partners); (2) strike section 8 (which he said would disable privileged consideration of House resolutions of inquiry); and (3) require immediate consideration of HR 4405 (the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act) upon adoption of the rule. Each of those amendments failed on roll call; the clerk reported each vote as 2 yeas and 8 nays. McGovern spoke in favor of the amendments and argued for Congress to reassert oversight (he said, in one exchange, wage and price effects from tariffs were harming households); the chair ruled the noes prevailing on the voice votes and then the roll calls confirmed the outcome.

After the failed amendments, the committee voted to report the rule. The clerk reported the final recorded vote on the rule as 8 yeas and 2 nays. The committee designated Representative Langworthy to manage the rule for the majority on the floor and Representative McGovern to manage it for the minority. The committee adjourned without further amendments.

Why it matters: Granting a closed rule determines how each bill will be debated and amended on the House floor; waiving points of order and adopting committee substitutes in advance narrows amendments available to members and speeds floor consideration. The resisting amendments and roll call votes reflect partisan disagreement about tariffs, oversight tools and the transparency bill McGovern proffered.

Speakers quoted in this story are listed in the speakers section below. Vote tallies and motions are taken from the committee’s roll calls in the hearing record.","The House Rules Committee voted to grant closed rules for a package of energy and District of Columbia bills. Committee Republicans moved the rule; Democrats offered three amendments that were defeated on roll call votes. The final motion to report the rule passed by recorded vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Rules Committee hears sharply divided views on bills to speed projects, reinstate coal council and streamline cross‑border permits

Committee debate splits over bills that would change DC juvenile sentencing, police chase rules and judicial appointments

Rules Committee approves closed rules for energy and DC bills after rejecting three Democratic amendments