H.R. 6176: Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act
Sponsor
Sean Casten
Democrat · IL-6
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Nov 20, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The power grid would finally get a report card
Why it matters
You pay for the high-voltage grid in every electric bill, yet there's almost no standardized way to judge whether that money is well spent or whether the system is getting more reliable. H.R. 6176 would make transmission owners and regional grid operators publish independently graded scorecards on cost, reliability, and fairness, then post the underlying data on a public website anyone can search.
H.R. 6176, the Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act, would build a standardized report-card system for the part of your electric bill almost nobody can see: transmission. The bill's findings say today's reporting is so fragmented and inconsistent that there's no clean way to compare one grid operator against another.
Two kinds of scorecards would result. Individual transmission owners would file a TIAPS report twice a year. Regional operators, the ISOs, RTOs, and planning bodies that run wholesale electricity markets, would file a yearly RIAPS report that rolls up the utility numbers and adds region-wide measures. Both have to be published in an open, machine-readable format anyone can download.
The grades cover a lot of ground: how affordable transmission is per unit of energy, financing costs, whether capital investments were prudent, reliability and outages, how fairly new projects get connected to the grid, how much ratepayer money goes to lobbying and advertising, and greenhouse gas intensity.
To stop companies from grading their own work, every scorecard has to be checked by an independent evaluator that FERC approves. No evaluator can stay with the same transmission owner for more than five reporting periods in a row, or more than 15 times in a decade; for regional operators the cap is three periods and seven times. National Laboratories can run audits on top of that, and the results go public within two months.
The timeline is tight. FERC would have one year to write the final rulebook. The first scorecards are due six months after that, and a public, searchable website housing the data has to be live within 18 months. A 17-member advisory group, including two seats reserved for ratepayer advocates, would help shape the metrics, and FERC would have to respond to its recommendations in writing within 60 days.
H.R. 6176 Bill Summary
What H.R. 6176 actually does.
Two report cards: one per utility, one per region
Each covered transmission owner would file a biannual TIAPS report on its own performance. Independent System Operators, Regional Transmission Organizations, and transmission planning entities would file a yearly RIAPS report that aggregates the utility-level numbers and adds region-wide measures like market efficiency and seams management.
Independent graders who can't stay forever
Scorecards must be verified by independent evaluators FERC approves. To prevent cozy relationships, an evaluator can serve a single transmission owner no more than 5 reporting periods in a row and no more than 15 times in 10 years; for regional operators the limits are 3 periods and 7 times.
Every scorecard goes on a public website
The Department of Energy would have to start building a public, searchable portal within 12 months and make it available within 18 months, housing every scorecard and its underlying data in machine-readable, open-data format.
FERC writes the rulebook within a year
FERC would have to issue a final rule within 1 year of enactment, setting the standardized metrics and methodologies. The first scorecards would be due 6 months after that rule lands.
Audits become public within two months
National Laboratories or other qualified institutions could audit scorecards on a periodic or as-needed basis, and the results would have to be made public within 2 months of completion.
Smaller grid operators get pulled in at 100 megawatts
Coverage reaches entities outside ISO and RTO structures if they own, operate, or control transmission facilities. For facilities not part of the bulk-power system, an operator is covered once its total transmission capacity hits 100 megawatts or more.
Who benefits from H.R. 6176?
Ratepayers and consumer advocates
They would get standardized numbers on affordability, financing costs, investment prudency, and how much ratepayer money flows to lobbying and advertising. The 17-member advisory group reserves two seats for ratepayer advocacy organizations.
Independent power producers waiting to connect
The scorecards would track how fairly and quickly new projects get connected to the grid, including a direct comparison between a utility's own affiliates and outside generators, aimed squarely at discrimination concerns.
Researchers, watchdogs, and journalists
They would gain a public, searchable portal of machine-readable grid data within 18 months, plus audit results released within two months of completion, replacing today's scattered and inconsistent filings.
Grid planners and reliability experts
They would get recurring, comparable data on reliability, outages, regional planning, seams management, and emissions intensity, with public technical conferences required at least once every three years.
Who is affected by H.R. 6176?
Covered transmission owners
They would face biannual TIAPS reporting, independent verification, possible National Laboratory audits, and enforcement under the Federal Power Act. The definition reaches some operators outside the bulk-power system once they hit 100 megawatts of total transmission capacity.
ISOs, RTOs, and transmission planning entities
These regional operators would file annual RIAPS reports covering aggregated owner metrics plus market efficiency, regional interconnection performance, seams management, and emissions intensity, with tighter evaluator rotation limits of 3 periods and 7 times in 10 years.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FERC would write the final rule within a year, standardize the metrics, approve independent evaluators, hold technical conferences every three years, and respond in writing to the advisory group within 60 days.
The Department of Energy
The Secretary would build and run the public portal, publish an annual report ranking performance by market type and governance structure, and conduct a comprehensive review of the program every three years.
HR6176 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Nov 20, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
About the Sponsor
Sean Casten
Democrat, Illinois's 6th congressional district · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Joint Economic Committee, Financial Services
View full profile →
Cosponsors (15)
All 15 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 10 states: California, Florida, Illinois, and 7 more.
Kevin Mullin
Democrat · CA
Jared Huffman
Democrat · CA
Suhas Subramanyam
Democrat · VA
Mike Quigley
Democrat · IL
John Garamendi
Democrat · CA
Kathy Castor
Democrat · FL
Seth Moulton
Democrat · MA
Bill Foster
Democrat · IL
Mike Levin
Democrat · CA
André Carson
Democrat · IN
Madeleine Dean
Democrat · PA
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Democrat · NY
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Commerce Committee
3 of 54 committee members cosponsored
21 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 6176 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Energy and Commerce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Energy
- Introduced
- Nov 20, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Nov 20, 2025
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the Electricity Transmission Scorecard Act with full text, actions, cosponsors, and status.
FERC would write the final rule and oversee the scorecard system; its eLibrary docket system is where related rulemakings, technical conferences, and filings appear.
The Department of Energy would build the public scorecard portal and publish the annual ranking report; this is DOE's hub for transmission planning and grid policy.
DOE's recurring assessment of where the grid falls short, the kind of system-wide picture the bill's standardized scorecards are meant to make comparable.
The bill tasks National Laboratories with designing verification protocols and running independent audits of the scorecards.
The greenhouse gas emissions-intensity metric relies on EPA methodologies; eGRID is EPA's authoritative dataset on the emissions profile of delivered electricity.
The bill makes a scorecard violation enforceable under section 316A of the Federal Power Act, codified at 16 U.S.C. 825o-1.
H.R. 6176 Common Questions
What does H.R. 6176 actually do?
It creates a standardized report-card system for the electric grid. Transmission owners and regional grid operators would have to publish scorecards on cost, reliability, fairness, and planning, graded by independent reviewers and posted online for anyone to read.
What would utilities have to report on their scorecards?
A lot. The bill lists affordability per unit of energy, financing costs, whether capital investments were prudent, reliability and outages, how fairly new projects get connected, how much ratepayer money goes to lobbying and ads, and greenhouse gas intensity.
Does it cover utilities outside ISO and RTO regions?
Yes. An operator outside an ISO, RTO, or planning entity is covered if it owns or controls transmission facilities and provides transmission service. For facilities off the bulk-power system, it's pulled in once total capacity hits 100 megawatts or more.
Who checks the numbers, or can companies grade themselves?
They can't grade themselves. Every scorecard has to be verified by an independent evaluator FERC approves. To keep things at arm's length, no evaluator can serve the same transmission owner more than 5 periods in a row or 15 times in a decade; for regional operators it's 3 periods and 7 times.
Could I actually see this grid data myself?
Yes. The Department of Energy would build a public, searchable website housing every scorecard and its raw data, in open, machine-readable format. It has to be live within 18 months of the bill becoming law.
Are the audit results public too?
Yes. National Laboratories or other qualified institutions could audit scorecards on a periodic or as-needed basis, and the results have to be made public within 2 months after the audit is finished.
What happens to a company that breaks the rules?
A violation of the scorecard requirements would be treated as a violation of the Federal Power Act, which carries existing federal penalties enforced through FERC.
When would all of this take effect?
FERC would have 1 year to issue the final rule. The first scorecards are due 6 months after that, and the public data portal has to be available within 18 months of enactment.
Based on H.R. 6176 bill text
H.R. 6176 Bill Text
“To require standardized performance reporting for entities engaged in electricity transmission to improve transparency, accountability, and grid outcomes, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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