Learners Live

Did you Know?
Menu

Senators Introduce Bill to Modernize America’s Electric Grid

William Attardi on March 9, 2026

A new bipartisan legislation to modernize the nation’s electric grid and meet America’s growing energy demand. This bill 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 for American families and businesses. The REWIRE Act provides a commonsense path forward: rather than building new infrastructure from scratch, it upgrades existing transmission lines with advanced conductors that can double capacity (a process known as “reconductoring”). By reducing congestion and bypassing lengthy permitting requirements, reconductoring could reduce grid costs by $85 billion by 2035 and $180 billion by 2050. Senators Introduce Bill to Modernize America’s Electric Grid – electrifiED

PG&E Unveils $73 Billion Spending Plan to Meet Surging Data-Center Energy Demand

William Attardi on September 30, 2025

PG&E plans to invest $73 billion by 2030 to upgrade transmission infrastructure to accommodate a surge in electricity demand from data centers. The utility is working to serve 10 gigawatts of new demand over the next decade, driven by AI and other technologies. The plan also includes nearly 700 miles of underground power lines and 500 miles of wildfire safety upgrades. PG&E unveils $73 billion spending plan to meet surging data-center energy demand | Reuters

U.S. Electrical Grid Infrastructure to Gain $20B Investment from Avangrid by Kim Riley

William Attardi on March 14, 2025

Avangrid Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, said Wednesday it plans to invest $20 billion in United States electrical grid infrastructure through the end of the decade.  Executives discussed how growing energy demand requires a critical need to invest in energy infrastructure, and that the U.S. is a top investment destination as Avangrid and Iberdrola modernize and expand the country’s electrical grid. They also noted that the investment plan could also include opportunities for new generation. Avangrid has about $50 billion in assets in the United States across 23 states and employs over 8,000 people. Its eight electric and gas utilities in the Northeast serve more than 3.3 million customers. Avangrid also owns and operates about 10.5 gigawatts of electric generation capacity, capable of producing enough electricity to power over three million homes.  U.S. electrical grid infrastructure to gain $20B investment from Avangrid – Daily Energy Insider

More Electricity Needed Faster to Further National Energy Security, Says S&P Global Report by Kim Riley

William Attardi on March 14, 2025

The summary of the S. National Power Demand Study— which will be released in its entirety in the coming weeks — highlights the extent of the electricity demand growth facing the United States, and presents some of the tools that can be tapped to meet the moment in furtherance of national energy security. Electricity demand in America will surge by 35 percent to 50 percent between 2024 and 2040, primarily driven by AI data centers, new manufacturing activity, electric vehicles (EVs), space-heating electrification, and broad economic growth, according to the S&P Global study. A key finding is that the demand is growing faster than the supply of new energy solutions that could power it, creating an urgent need for faster policy action on permitting and grid interconnection and an all-of-the-above energy strategy within the sector, according to S&P Global.  More electricity needed faster to further national energy security, says S&P Global report – Daily Energy Insider

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”