Payne Proposes Study into Bolstering Nation's Energy Grid

Rep. Donald Payne (D-10) announced his plan to introduce a bill in Congress to fund a study looking into ways to improve and strengthen the nation’s energy, making the announcement in Newark almost exactly a year after Superstorm Sandy left millions of New Jerseyans in the dark for days.

“Hurricane Sandy didn’t just disrupt lives, it caused major damage to our economy” said Payne,  who was joined by other members of the state’s Congressional delegation at PSE&G headquarters.  “But the good news is we can mitigate this damage by investing in and upgrading our electric grid now to reduce costs down the road.”

The SMART Grid Study Act is a $2.1 million comprehensive study by the National Research Council in full cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy and other government agencies, with the goal of reducing the frequency and magnitude of outages. The study will provide a comprehensive look at the construction and technical development stages, costs, jobs created, energy savings, and environmental protections associated with fully upgrading to a SMART Grid System.

Payne appeared at the event with fellow Jersey Democrats Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, as well as Yvette Clark, a New York City congresswoman whose Brooklyn district was also impacted by the storm. Also appearing was Re. Leonard Lance, a Republican, who promised to help bring Payne’s legislation to the floor of Congress.