Padilla has now delivered more than $100 million for grid projects across California
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced $69,814,909 in federal funding to help strengthen California’s electric grid infrastructure against extreme weather. The funding through the U.S. Department of Energy will be distributed by the California Energy Commission to communities across the state.
“My POWER ON Act is helping communities upgrade their infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather, prevent outages, and protect families from power disruptions,” said Senator Padilla. “That is why I’m continuing to lead the effort to deliver these investments in grid resilience to California, making this nearly $70 million in funding possible. I’ll keep working to ensure California has the resources it needs to build a stronger, more reliable electric grid.”
The funding comes through the Grid Resilience Formula Grants to States and Tribes Program at the Department of Energy, which was created by Senator Padilla’s Preventing Outages with Enhanced Resilience and Operations Nationwide (POWER ON) Act. The POWER ON Act was signed into law by President Biden in 2021 as part of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, authorizing $5 billion over five years to help prevent blackouts, shutoffs, and utility-caused wildfires and to help states weatherize their electric grids. California has now received nearly $107 million thanks to Padilla’s legislation – resulting in a stronger, more reliable grid and more jobs and workforce opportunities.
Padilla has been a consistent and vocal advocate for the need to strengthen our electrical grid. Earlier this year, Padilla introduced legislation that would reauthorize the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program through 2031. Last year, Padilla led California lawmakers in denouncing the DOE’s cuts of $7.6 billion in critical grants for energy projects across California and the country. DOE’s list of cuts includes 79 projects and over $3.3 billion in investment across California, with over $2 billion in projects eliminated from Republican-represented districts in California. In 2024, Padilla announced $600 million in federal funding for California to upgrade 100 miles of transmission lines to improve the state’s grid reliability and deliver clean, affordable electricity faster.