Keeping the Lights On—Before It’s Too Late

By Representative Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL) 

A few weeks ago, I gave a speech on the House Floor, and I wanted to start with a real-time exercise by having all the lights suddenly go out. Unfortunately, Capitol Police wouldn’t have liked that. So, I asked everyone to imagine the chaos that would ensue.

Now let’s imagine losing power in my state of North Dakota, where earlier this year, temperatures dropped to –22 degrees for many days in a row. That wouldn’t just be a small inconvenience—it would be deadly. Unfortunately, that scenario is no longer far-fetched. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warns that two-thirds of the U.S. is at elevated risk of blackouts—including the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region, which powers 42 million Americans, including North Dakota.

The reason why is simple: we’re shutting down reliable power generation sources faster than we’re replacing them.

We’re adding more nameplate generation—mostly wind and solar—but not enough accredited capacity, which are the reliable sources that grid operators count on during extreme conditions. This is why power bills are increasing, even as reliability worsens.

The good news is, we can still fix it. Here’s how:

First, we’ve got to eliminate the endless red tape facing our energy producers. Second, we need to take a hard look at how federal energy incentives are working. Washington has picked winners and losers, tilting the market toward weather-dependent sources while eroding the economics of the reliable, around-the-clock power resources we need. Third, we need real and rapid permitting reform. Finally, we need all these changes and more to build power generation faster than we ever have to meet the demand for AI.

Grid reliability is not a partisan issue—it’s an American issue. We cannot be a beacon of hope for the world if we’re sitting in the dark without power. America can and must remain the most powerful, prosperous, and innovative nation on earth. We have the resources and technology. Now, we must act.