North Dakota Republicans are pushing legislation to prevent red-state ratepayers from subsidizing major transmission projects tied to blue-state climate policies.
The “Fair Allocation of Interstate Rates (FAIR) Act,” introduced in both chambers by Rep. Julie Fedorchak and Sen. Kevin Cramer, would bar regional grid operators from charging consumers in states without clean energy policies for multistate transmission lines built — even in part — to satisfy another state’s climate or renewable goals.
The bill would significantly reshape how grid planners define the “beneficiaries” of large, multibillion-dollar lines. In effect, states with aggressive clean-energy goals — such as California and New York — would be responsible for the full cost of transmission projects planned to help them meet those mandates.
Even if the legislation doesn’t gain traction on its own, it signals how key lawmakers are positioning themselves ahead of negotiations on a potential deal on permitting and bolstering the grid.
