WASHINGTON, DC – PA U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick has introduced legislation to modernize the nation’s electric grid and meet America’s growing energy demand. The REWIRE Act of 2026 cuts permitting delays, incentivizes advanced transmission upgrades, strengthens state grid planning, and accelerates the deployment of innovative grid technologies to lower costs and improve grid reliability. American electricity demand is projected to rise by as much as 5.7% by 2030. Meeting this demand will require nearly 5,000 miles of new high-capacity transmission lines each year, according to the Department of Energy. McCormick’s measure provides a commonsense path forward. Rather than building new infrastructure from scratch, it upgrades existing transmission lines with advanced conductors that can double capacity through a process known as “reconductoring.” By reducing congestion and bypassing lengthy permitting requirements, reconductoring could reduce grid costs by $85 billion by 2035.
SEN. DAVID MCCORMICK