Inside Washington: May 2026
Jump to:
NECA's 2026 Legislative Conference
House Energy Subcommittee Takes Up Transmission Permitting
Senate Examines Nuclear Executive Order Implementation
NECA's 2026 Legislative Conference
Earlier this month, NECA member contractors from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 2026 Legislative Conference to talk with Congressional offices on the issues that matter most to the electrical contracting industry. Check out the full recap below!
House Energy Subcommittee Takes Up Transmission Permitting
On May 13, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing titled "Wires, Rates, and States: Permitting Transmission for Reliable and Affordable Power." The hearing examined the central bottleneck to slow grid buildout, framed around what members called "the three Ps": planning, permitting, and paying.
Members and witnesses largely agreed on the urgency of the problem, even as they differed on whether states or the federal government should take the lead. Permitting timelines are not keeping pace with rising electricity demand, particularly from AI and data center growth, and every month a project sits in review is a month electrical contractors are not building.
The debate centered on cost allocation and the balance between state primacy and federal backstop authority at the forefront. Several witnesses argued that state-led integrated resource planning remains the best way to protect ratepayers, while others called for clearer federal backstop siting authority for a small number of nationally significant, multistate lines.
Despite these disagreements, members on both sides of the aisle underscored that permitting reform itself is more bipartisan than ever, and that delays in federal reviews and litigation are directly slowing grid expansion and increasing costs. Members also flagged supply chain constraints as a growing problem, raising nationwide shortages of transformers, circuit breakers, and cables, with prices having doubled and lead times measured in years.
What This Means for NECA Contractors
The pipeline of contractor work tied to this buildout is substantial and growing. Transmission line construction, reconductoring with advanced conductors, substation upgrades, and advanced metering and control systems are all on the table. The hearing also reinforced that buildout cannot happen without skilled electrical labor. Federal permitting reform and supply chain investment will matter, but it is the workforce on the ground that builds the grid.
National Infrastructure Week
Infrastructure Week 2026 took place May 18 through 22 under the theme "Building a Stronger America," convening industry leaders across the country to make the case for sustained investment in transportation networks and critical infrastructure systems. This year's events centered heavily on the surface transportation reauthorization bill and the need for a long-term federal infrastructure framework that will shape policy for decades to come.
On May 19, United for Infrastructure held its signature Infrastructure Week event, bringing together Members of Congress, transportation stakeholders, and industry leaders. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee marked the week by spotlighting the Committee's accomplishments and ongoing work to strengthen America's infrastructure. Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Rouzer used the occasion to highlight the BUILD America 250 Act and its potential impact on roads, bridges, transit systems, and railways nationwide, all of which depend on a skilled electrical workforce to deliver.
Senate Examines Nuclear Executive Order Implementation
On May 13, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently held a full committee hearing to examine the Department of Energy’s implementation of President Trump’s nuclear energy executive orders. The hearing reflects continued congressional focus on accelerating domestic nuclear deployment, a priority NECA has tracked closely since the Administration set a target of expanding U.S. nuclear capacity from roughly 100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050.
Lawmakers pressed DOE officials on how quickly advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, can move from policy to project pipelines. That scale of nuclear buildout will demand transmission infrastructure, substation upgrades, control systems, and grid interconnection work on a level the country has not seen in decades, mirroring themes raised in recent House hearings on permitting and interregional transmission. Members also highlighted the need to align nuclear deployment with broader grid planning so that new generation can reliably reach load centers without driving up costs for ratepayers.
For NECA contractors, the nuclear push is not an isolated initiative. It is part of a broader integrated buildout that spans generation, transmission, and distribution. From new nuclear units like Plant Vogtle to future advanced reactors and the lines that connect them, nuclear policy decisions in Washington will shape a multi-decade pipeline of complex electrical construction work. NECA will continue monitoring DOE's implementation of the executive orders and engaging with policymakers to ensure contractor-specific considerations around workforce, supply chain, and project delivery are front and center as advanced nuclear projects move toward construction.