emPower Rural America Supports S. 4753, the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024

Dear Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso,

emPower Rural America (ePRA) writes to express our comments and support for the provisions that enhance reliability of America’s electric grid, S. 4753, the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. ePRA is a coalition of farmers, food processors, agri-business leaders and other stakeholders committed to addressing the critical energy and reliability needs of rural America for sustainable economic growth. 

Ensuring grid reliability is crucial for American farming, manufacturing, and consumer costs. In the face of extreme weather events and transition risks, proactive measures are needed to help mitigate evolving challenges and ensure grid resilience and reliability. This is particularly important for American food producers and processors as foreign competition has resulted in the United States becoming a net food importer in 2023 for the first time in our history and USDA projects that to continue for the near future — with impacts on both economic competitiveness and our national security. 

Food processing facilities (food manufacturers) rely heavily on a stable and uninterrupted power supply to maintain operations. Any unplanned loss of power can result in complete halts in production, leading to loss of material, clogged equipment, downtime, and the potential for supply chains to shut down altogether. The intricate nature of shutting down a food processing facility means that even brief power disruptions can lead to extended recovery periods, sometimes surpassing 24 hours. These increased operational costs can raise the cost of food for consumers and decrease American competitiveness.

We applaud Congress for working on a bipartisan basis to outline and streamline the process by which these major infrastructure projects are handled by federal agencies more clearly. The bill would ensure America – especially rural America – has a modern, reliable electric grid, while still recognizing the fair and just treatment of private landowners and impacted communities.  We believe that the American production of food and its processing are a matter of national security, and a reliable and affordable grid are critical to the strength of American Agriculture and Rural America. We firmly believe that the benefits of modernizing and expanding the grid for rural America are substantial and such an updated power system should be accessible to all Americans, offering both economic advantages and enhanced access to reliable and affordable electricity.

The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 represents a step forward in tackling the challenges of our nation’s energy infrastructure by improving the transparency, predictability, and efficiency of the federal permitting process. In this legislation, it is members of congress on a bipartisan basis, building on past efforts and incorporating valuable feedback from landowners, seeking to create a clear, fair, and more efficient process for modernizing critical transmission lines that serve the interests of all Americans – including rural America. Key provisions of the act include clarifying FERC’s role in planning and cost allocation based on specific economic and reliability benefits, streamlining siting, and permitting by enhancing existing processes, and emphasizing the role of the states and the importance of just compensation to landowners. The bill also ensures that the costs of transmission are borne by those who benefit from it. We also applaud the legislation for facilitating federal leasing for diverse power generation projects, taking vital steps to protect American businesses and households from the risk of energy shortfalls during periods of high demand.

Under FERC's guidance, these reforms would empower the United States to make significant strides in reliability by expanding and modernizing the grid – progress that would unlock continued economic development and improve electric reliability in rural areas across the country. The bipartisan support for the bill underscores the importance of this initiative. ePRAthanks you for development of this legislation and urges Congress to support this important bill and work towards its swift passage.

Sincerely,

Corn Refiners Association

 Seneca Foods

Oklahoma Farm Bureau 

Southeastern Food Processors Association

 National Peach Council 

US Sweet Potato Council 

North Carolina Agri-Business Council 

 Anchor Three Farms

California League of Food Processors