42 U.S.C. § 17390 — Voluntary model pathways

(a) Establishment of voluntary model pathways. (1) Within 90 days after December 27, 2020, the Secretary, working with the steering committee under paragraph (3), must start building voluntary model pathways for modernizing the electric grid through a joint public-private effort that: (A) produces sample policy pathways covering a range of technologies that states and regions can adapt; (B) helps modernize the grid and its communications networks to meet the goals in paragraph (2); (C) keeps the grid reliable, resilient, affordable, safe, and secure; and (D) recognizes that states and regions have different priorities, electric systems, and rate structures. (2) The pathways must help achieve, as far as practical, these goals: (A) near real-time awareness of the electric system; (B) data visualization; (C) advanced monitoring and control of the modern grid; (D) more certainty for investors about grid policy; (E) more innovation; (F) more consumer power; (G) more grid resilience, reliability, and robustness; (H) better (i) integration of distributed energy resources, (ii) interoperability of the electric system, and (iii) predictive modeling and capacity forecasting; (I) lower costs for consumers; and (J) more diverse generation sources. (3) Within 90 days after December 27, 2020, the Secretary must also set up a steering committee to help build the pathways, made up of appointed experts from a mix of public, private, and academic backgrounds, including representatives of (A) FERC, (B) the National Laboratories, (C) states, (D) state regulators, (E) transmission organizations, (F) all parts of the electric power industry, (G) colleges and universities, (H) independent research institutes, and (I) other groups. (b) Technical assistance. The Secretary may give technical help to states, Indian tribes, or local governments to adopt or use parts of the pathways built under subsection (a)(1), including on a trial basis.