Congressman Gabe Evans’ Bill Combating Colorado’s Skyrocketing Energy Costs Passes the House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Gabe Evans’ (R-CO) State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act, H.R. 3628 passed the U.S. House in a bipartisan vote. The legislation will ensure states take long-term energy reliability and affordability into account when designing utility policies — helping drive down the soaring electricity costs burdening families across Colorado and the nation.

“For years Colorado’s ruling Democrats have pushed out-of-touch policies and burdensome regulations that have led to skyrocketing energy bills and increased financial strain, resulting in further mental and physical stress on hard-working families across the state. This legislation puts Coloradans first by holding state regulatory entities like Colorado Public Utilities Commission accountable by new federal standards, to ensure they are focused on considering energy reliability and affordability. I’m proud to lead the charge on legislation that lowers costs, uplifts working-class Americans, and strengthens our nation's energy dominance.” — Congressman Gabe Evans 

Under H.R. 3628, states must evaluate whether their integrated resource plans maintain sufficient reliable generation or the procurement of electricity from reliable generation facilities, defined as facilities capable of supplying electricity continuously for at least 30 days, including during severe weather, and capable of providing essential grid services such as frequency and voltage support.

Background

Representative Evans has continually criticized Colorado Democrats’ state-level policy decisions that have accelerated the dismantling of dependable resources and energy freedoms, and forced ratepayers to pay higher costs while concurrently creating significant reliability risks.

In recent years, Colorado utilities have reported capacity shortfalls, and businesses across the state have reported frequent outages that disrupt operations, including advanced technology companies requiring constant power to compete in fields like quantum computing and AI.

Since 2021, electric bills have surged a staggering 24% in Colorado. As reported by national polling, 62% of Americans say their power bills have risen in the last year, while 73% fear further increases. According to U.S. Census data, roughly 80 million Americans struggle to pay their utility bills. 

Congressman Evans’ legislation takes direct aim at these rising costs by requiring states to consider whether their energy policies maintain enough reliable power to meet demand over a ten-year period, keeping the lights on and protecting ratepayers.

The legislation passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a 25–23 vote before advancing to the House floor where it passed with bipartisan support. It now awaits consideration in the Senate.

The State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act has been endorsed by the Western Energy Alliance and the Competitive Enterprise Institute;

"The State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act, H.R. 3628, is a commonsense measure to support power grid reliability. To maintain an affordable and predictable provision of power, the bill would require that utilities must consider reliability in their integrated resource planning. Specifically, the legislation would require that utilities’ look to reliable generation facilities, those that are capable of providing power on a continuous basis for 30 days, among other requirements. This is an important step in ensuring states are planning their power grids in a way that provides for reliability." - Competitive Enterprise Institute Research Fellow Paige Lambermont

 Click here to read the bill.