Senators Dave McCormick and Peter Welch introduced the REWIRE Act of 2026 to modernize the electric grid and reduce regulatory barriers.
Support legislation to modernize America's electric grid and cut regulatory barriers.
Occurrences
Senator McCormick introduced the REWIRE Act to address the nation's growing electricity demand by streamlining the permitting process and accelerating the deployment of innovative grid technologies. The act aims to modernize the electric grid and improve reliability for American families and businesses.
"U.S. Senators Dave McCormick and Peter Welch this week introduced the Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act of 2026, new bipartisan legislation to modernize the nation’s electric grid and meet America’s growing energy demand. The 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 bipartisan REWIRE Act is exactly the kind of commonsense fix we need. It leverages existing infrastructure we already have, brings down costs, and stops years of unnecessary permitting delays from standing in the way of real progress.”
NEMA applauds the introduction of the bipartisan Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act , which will not only cut red tape to accelerate deployment of new poles and wires, but support adoption of GETs and advanced conductors that enable transmission system operators to maximize the value of existing networks... NEMA thanks Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) for their leadership on legislation to expand and modernize our nation’s power system to meet 21 st century demands without sacrificing responsible oversight.
Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to modernize the nation's electric grid by cutting permitting delays, incentivizing advanced transmission upgrades, strengthening state grid planning, and accelerating the deployment of innovative grid technologies to lower costs and improve reliability.
S.3947 | A bill to amend the Federal Power Act to establish a categorical exclusion for reconductoring within existing rights-of-way, and for other purposes. Latest Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Evidence
On March 2, 2026, Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Reconductoring Existing Wires for Infrastructure Reliability and Expansion (REWIRE) Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to modernize the nation's electric grid by cutting permitting delays, incentivizing advanced transmission upgrades, strengthening state grid planning, and accelerating the deployment of innovative grid technologies to lower costs and improve reliability.
Senator McCormick's press release dated March 2, 2026, announces the introduction of the REWIRE Act, emphasizing the need to strengthen the electric grid and cut through bureaucratic delays. The act focuses on leveraging existing infrastructure to bring down costs and expedite progress.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) issued a statement on March 2, 2026, applauding the introduction of the REWIRE Act. NEMA emphasized the urgency of expanding and modernizing America's power generation and delivery capacity to meet increasing energy demand and enhance national security.
On March 2, 2026, Senator McCormick co-sponsored the REWIRE Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at modernizing the nation's electric grid by reducing permitting delays and accelerating the deployment of innovative grid technologies to lower costs and improve reliability.
Senator McCormick introduced the REWIRE Act to address the nation's growing electricity demand by streamlining the permitting process and accelerating the deployment of innovative grid technologies. The act aims to modernize the electric grid and improve reliability for American families and businesses.
On March 2, 2026, Senator Dave McCormick and Senator Peter Welch introduced the REWIRE Act of 2026. The release says the bill is new bipartisan legislation to modernize the nation’s electric grid and meet America’s growing energy demand, and that it cuts permitting delays, incentivizes advanced transmission upgrades, strengthens state grid planning, and accelerates deployment of innovative grid technologies.
McCormick’s Senate legislation page lists S.3947, the REWIRE Act, with the latest action: read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The page does not show enactment into law or further advancement beyond referral.
Assessments
Sen. McCormick introduced and co-sponsored bipartisan legislation (the REWIRE Act, S.3947) on March 2, 2026 expressly to modernize the electric grid and cut permitting/regulatory barriers. Official releases and his Senate legislation page confirm he materially advanced the pledge by sponsoring the bill, but the bill was only read and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and had not been enacted or advanced further in the legislative record in the available evidence. Therefore he fulfilled the promise in part (supporting and advancing legislation) but did not complete the policy outcome (no enactment shown).
The evidence demonstrates that Senator McCormick made a serious and substantive legislative attempt to fulfill his promise by introducing and co-sponsoring the REWIRE Act, aimed explicitly at modernizing the electric grid and reducing regulatory barriers. Multiple sources confirm this effort occurred during the same Senate term as the promise. However, there is no evidence the bill was enacted into law or that the promised outcomes were fully realized; the available evidence only covers introduction and advocacy. Therefore, the recommended outcome is partial, with significant effort acknowledged.
Multiple credible sources confirm that Senator McCormick introduced and co-sponsored the REWIRE Act, specifically targeting the modernization of the electric grid and reduction of regulatory barriers. This demonstrates serious legislative effort. However, there is no evidence that the bill was enacted or that the promised outcomes were fully delivered, resulting in only partial fulfillment of the campaign promise.