Alex Padilla: “I rise to join Senator Cornyn in introducing the ``Preventing Outages With Enhanced Resilience and Operations Nationwide…”

“I rise to join Senator Cornyn in introducing the ``Preventing Outages With Enhanced Resilience and Operations Nationwide (POWER ON) Act of 2021''. This legislation would authorize the Federal government to offer grants to States and Tribal governments to modernize the electrical grid and better withstand extreme weather events and natural disasters. It would also serve as a catalyst for our Nation's research and development and deployment of new technologies that will ensure our Nation's grid can meet the challenges of climate change and continue to provide reliable electricity to our citizens. The ``POWER ON Act'' is a bipartisan step-forward to combating the devastating impact of climate change and keep the lights on for everyone. This legislation would help protect America's electric grid and make it more resilient. Climate change is real and nowhere is that fact more clear than in my State of California. As the State continues to experience historic wildfires, droughts, dangerous mudslides, prolonged heatwaves, and extreme wind events that prompt sustained power shutoffs, the Federal government can and must help. We must work with States to invest in our electrical infrastructure and make our grids more reliable. This legislation would establish a grant program through the Department of Energy for States and Tribal governments to award funds to eligible entities to deploy projects that enhance the resilience of the electric grid.…”