BILL Drivers Act

This bill mandates the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of electricity cost components for residential and small business customers across all states. The analysis will examine changes over the preceding seven-year period, aiming to provide greater transparency into the factors driving electricity bill increases. Specifically, the EIA, in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), must identify changes in key cost categories such as generation, transmission, and distribution costs , as well as State and local taxes and fees , and State policy cost components . It will also distinguish between Federal, State, and local policy-related costs and assess the impact of large load additions like data centers. The analysis is designed to be market structure neutral, allowing for comparisons between states with different electricity market designs. The EIA is directed to leverage existing publicly available data, including its own Form 861 and reports from independent market monitors. FERC will provide technical assistance regarding wholesale electricity and transmission cost trends. Within 180 days of enactment, the EIA must submit a report to Congress summarizing its findings, which will also incorporate relevant information from the Electric Reliability Organization's Long-Term Reliability Assessment. Ultimately, the results of this analysis will be published in a clear, consumer-friendly format on both the EIA and FERC websites. The bill emphasizes that this initiative is intended to assist customers and policymakers in understanding electricity cost drivers, without altering existing ratemaking authority, requiring changes to retail electricity rates, or assigning cost responsibility to individual utilities or customer classes.