Grid Expansion and Reliability Act

This bill amends the Federal Power Act to allow any person to construct or modify an electric transmission facility in a national interest electric transmission corridor by self-certifying certain information to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), replacing the previous permit process led by the Secretary of Energy.

Sec. 2, Siting of interstate electric transmission facilities: The bill transfers authority from the Secretary of Energy to FERC for designating national interest electric transmission corridors. It creates a new self-certification process where any person may construct or modify a facility in such a corridor by certifying their legal name, business type, existing operations, a description of the facility with expected start and completion dates, and a table of contents of certification documents. FERC must issue regulations within 365 days of enactment.

The bill requires FERC to annually audit each certification to verify it includes the required information. FERC must also submit annual reports to Congress on the certification process's efficacy, any issues, and recommendations for improvement.

It updates existing provisions to refer to persons authorized under the new certification process instead of permit holders, and removes a requirement for the Commission to determine that the permit holder made good faith efforts to engage with landowners and stakeholders early in the permitting process.

It replaces references to the Secretary of Energy with FERC in various subsections, including those on coordination with states and interstate compacts, and removes a subparagraph related to disagreements about siting within a state that is party to a compact.