Please sustain the LPO loans for much-needed U.S. grid upgrades!

The U.S. Energy Department’s LPO has announced nearly $23 billion in IRA-funded loans to supercharge America’s grid, set to go to eight utilities serving nearly 15 million customers across 12 states. Please sustain the LPO loans for much-needed grid upgrades! This is a truly UNPRECEDENTED investment in America’s grid, providing the financial firepower we need to scale up the cutting-edge solutions that have been proven to ensure reliable, clean electricity. If this loan survives the current political environment, a cornucopia of funding is set to catalyze a truly epoch-making surge in much-needed power transmission lines, energy storage, reconductoring, methane leak reduction, and more. As with the recent LPO loan for the Project Polaris grid investments in California, these projects will make use of a wide array of highly impactful new technologies to help maintain and improve America’s energy security. “Projects planned by the utilities announced today will add much-needed transmission capacity by building new transmission lines, reconductoring existing lines, and implementing grid-enhancing technologies that will get more out of existing grid. Additional grid modernization investments include substation upgrades, virtual power plants, and strategically placed energy storage to improve the utilization and performance of the system utilities have already built and paid for.... In addition to power system enhancements, today’s announcements include replacing over 3,000 miles of leaky natural gas distribution and main lines. These replacements keep methane, a potent near-term greenhouse gas, from escaping, which also reduces the potential for accidents and keeps communities safer.” - U.S. Energy Department As with other major LPO energy security loans, it may eventually be up to Congress to determine whether vital funding like this will be sustained in upcoming budget cycles - or even disbursed at all. In an uncertain political environment, the leadership of vocal Congressional champions to defend specific clean energy projects is likely to be increasingly important. Your voice can lead on sustaining strategic energy investments to ensure America's national security. Please sustain the LPO loans for much-needed U.S. grid upgrades!