September 20, 2023

Reps. Bob Latta and Marilyn Strickland stress the importance of bipartisanship in building a resilient, efficient and secure electric grid of the future

ARLINGTON, VA — Yesterday, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the GridWise Alliance hosted the 2023 Congressional Grid Innovation Expo at the Rayburn House Office Building. The event showcased both NEMA and GridWise Alliance member companies as they displayed innovative grid technologies that are integral in securing and strengthening the grid, as illuminated by NEMA’s Energy Transition Map. NEMA President and CEO, Debra Phillips and GridWise Alliance CEO Karen Wayland were joined by Representatives Bob Latta and Marilyn Strickland, Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Grid Innovation Caucus, to deliver remarks on the state of our grid, the goals of the caucus and how policy and private industry are working together to advance grid modernization.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are bringing critical and unprecedented funding to modernize and secure our electrical grid,” said Debra Phillips, President and CEO, National Electrical Manufacturers Association. “The products displayed yesterday at the Capitol are examples of the essential technology that will harden our grid to physical and cyber attacks, prepare for the rapid electrification of our transportation systems and maintain electrical systems during extreme weather events. We thank our partners at GridWise Alliance for their support and Reps. Latta and Strickland for championing the work that the manufacturing sector is doing on the energy transition.”

“Scaling for demand and bringing the full benefits of a modernized grid to Americans everywhere will only be possible with the type of bipartisan leadership we are seeing from Reps. Latta and Strickland”, said Karen Wayland, CEO, The GridWise Alliance. “As a country, we’ve never asked more of our grid than we’re asking now. Our partners at NEMA and our member companies see the historic opportunity in front of us and are excited to see such enthusiasm for events like today’s expo.”

“In my home state [Washington] we’re working to update an antiquated electric infrastructure and that’s a story too many states can tell,” said Rep. Marilyn Strickland(D-WA-10). “Modernizing our grid is a public safety issue, a national security issue and a climate issue and I look forward to working with Rep. Latta, NEMA, GridWise, and the experts in the industry here today to help us get this right.”

“We need to generate and distribute more power in this country” said Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH-5). “The companies here today, the industry voices of NEMA and GridWise along with the work of my Co-Chair Rep. Strickland and our bipartisan caucus are going to be crucial to the success of how we modernize our grid.”

Exhibitors:

• Schneider Electric
• Siemens Energy
• Siemens
• ABB
• Eaton
• S&E Electric Company
• Itron
• Electrical Grid Monitoring USA, Inc.
• Piclo Energy
• Prolec GE
• Landis + Gyr
• LineVision
• Commonwealth Edison
• Dell
• Pepco
• Hitachi
• Sense

Designed to comply with House Ethics Rules

About The GridWise Alliance

The GridWise Alliance leads a diverse membership of electricity industry stakeholders focused on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid to support decarbonization of the US economy. Our goal is to champion the principal concepts, policies, and investments needed to transform the electricity grid and accelerate the prudent changes required to maintain the grid’s essential role in a robust economy.