Investing in Affordable and Reliable Power

On Monday, I introduced HR 10074, the Affordable Power for the Northern Marianas Act, legislation that would direct $15 million annually in existing Covenant funding back to the CNMI, with most of those resources dedicated to rebuilding our aging power system and helping reduce or stabilize electricity costs. Power costs affect nearly every part of life in the Commonwealth. They affect household budgets, the ability of businesses to grow and hire, the cost of operating our schools and hospital, and ultimately whether people can afford to build a future here at home. This bill would prioritize investments that lower fuel and operating costs, improve efficiency, and reduce the frequency and cost of outages. Importantly, the bill does not increase overall federal mandatory spending. It redirects a greater share of existing Covenant funding to the Commonwealth and removes local matching requirements for energy projects so that limited local resources do not prevent critical investments from moving forward. We have spent too long managing one power crisis after another. This legislation is about putting real resources behind a long-term solution and making affordable, reliable electricity a central part of rebuilding the CNMI economy.