America’s electrical grid is hurtling toward a crisis point, according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
Brian Papp, a top lobbyist at NEMA, warned that without urgent permitting reform, major legislative action and hundreds of billions in infrastructure investment, the grid simply will not keep pace.
“Permitting reform is a great opportunity. It’s sorely needed. It’s needed now,” he told The Advocates. “When you take a look at the grid reliability study, you’ll see just how substantial the increase is in the demand expected on the grid going through the next 25 years or so.”
The association projects that U.S. electricity demand will surge 55% by 2050, driven largely by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence and data centers.
To bolster the electric grid, NEMA is pushing for Congress to pass the Senate’s STRONG Grid Act and Rewiring America Act and the House’s High-Capacity Grid Act.
“The grid is in need of upgrades. Many parts of the grid infrastructure across the country are overdue for more investment,” Mr. Papp said.
NEMA, which has invested over $200 billion in U.S. manufacturing since 2018, with an additional $60 billion planned over the next five years, will host the 2026 Grid Innovation Expo on Tuesday along with GridWise Alliance and the American Critical Minerals Association.
Republican Rep. Bob Latta of Ohio and Democratic Rep. Marilyn Strickland of Washington, the co-chairs of the House Grid Innovation Caucus, are expected to be in attendance.
Mandatory 9/11 curriculum pushed for NYC schools
A Jewish advocacy group is demanding New York City mandate a factual public school curriculum on the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The group warns that a generation of students has already been left without proper instruction on al-Qaeda and radical Islamic terrorism, and that some are now being taught revisionist history that blurs the line between victims and attackers.
Jayne Zirkle, a spokesperson for #EndJewHatred, told The Advocates that the push is on for a stakeholders commission to establish the curriculum.
“A generation of New York City children has already gone without learning the history of what happened here at Ground Zero today,” Ms. Zirkle said. “So we’re really looking to establish this within the coming weeks.”
The group is pressuring Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Panel for Education Policy, the city council speaker, the chair of the city council’s Education Committee and city council members to convene the commission. It would include 9/11 family members, survivors, first responders, educators, and non-governmental organizations focused on combating hatred.
The group is seeking a Chancellor’s Directive under Education Law 2590 H8 that would require every NYC public school to teach an age-appropriate, Common Core-aligned Sept. 11 curriculum.
The curriculum would specifically address what happened at the World Trade Center, who al Qaeda was, and the root causes of 9/11, with advocates criticizing a trend of attributing the attacks to Islamophobia rather than radical Islamic terrorism.
“There are lines being blurred between who the bad guys were on 9/11. Kids in schools today are taught that terrorism is justified because it’s part of an evil capitalist system,” said Ms. Zirkle.
“You see young people increasingly sympathizing with terror. And 9/11 is just one of the awful atrocities that’s getting lost in translation. This is a defining moment for our nation. So if you aren’t learning the facts about 9/11, you’re not learning American history.”
New York City has already established a moment of silence and allocated several million dollars for field trip-style 9/11 programming, but no institutional classroom curriculum currently exists.
#EndJewHatred is circulating a petition on its website under the banner “Never Forget Means Teach It,” calling on New Yorkers, parents, and citizens to sign on.
Congress urged to pass Alzheimer’s bill
Americans for Tax Reform pressed members of Congress to advance and pass the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention Act.
The legislation, introduced by GOP Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida in the House and GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in the Senate, has bipartisan support in both chambers.
The bill would give the Health and Human Services secretary authority to establish Medicare coverage for FDA-cleared blood-based Alzheimer’s screening tests.
“These are the kinds of reforms Americans care deeply about,” ATR said in a letter to lawmakers.
The bill already has 206 cosponsors in the House and 48 in the Senate.
The FDA has cleared two blood tests that can detect Alzheimer’s biomarkers years before symptoms appear.
“These tests are cheaper and far less resource-intensive than PET imaging or spinal fluid analysis. Still, Medicare coverage for these blood tests does not begin until after symptom onset, despite numerous studies showing that earlier diagnosis is associated with better patient outcomes,” ATR said. “A diagnostic breakthrough that can flag disease years before symptoms appear only delivers value if patients can actually access it while early intervention can still make a difference.”
Spending on care for Alzheimer’s and other dementias is projected to reach $409 billion in 2026.
• The Advocates column is a weekly look at the political action players who drive the debate and shape policy outcomes in Washington. Send tips to theadvocates@washingtontimes.com. Click here to receive The Advocates in your inbox each week.
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