# H.R. 7977, Energy Bills Relief Act — Complete Summary
The Energy Bills Relief Act comprehensively addresses energy affordability, clean energy development, and electric grid modernization through a combination of consumer protections, infrastructure investments, and regulatory reforms. The bill expands low-income energy assistance by increasing federal funding to $2 billion annually starting in 2026, broadening eligibility to households earning up to 250% of the poverty level, and requiring utilities to waive late fees and prevent service shutoffs for participating households while implementing year-round assistance programs with online applications and auto-enrollment. On clean energy development, the legislation protects existing federal clean energy grants from cancellation, requires equal permitting treatment for renewable energy compared to fossil fuels, blocks new oil and gas leasing on federal lands unless renewable projects were recently approved, and substantially expands renewable energy development on public lands and offshore by updating production goals to 60 gigawatts by 2035, streamlining permitting timelines, and establishing revenue-sharing frameworks for states and conservation programs. The bill overhauls electricity grid governance and transmission by establishing minimum interstate transmission capacity standards, creating federal permitting authority for high-capacity transmission lines, providing tax credits and grants for transmission modernization, and linking utility earnings to efficiency improvements and customer benefits rather than simply increased energy sales. Additional provisions strengthen environmental and energy permitting across federal agencies through standardized data systems, modernized digital tools, mandatory intervenor funding, and $500 million in annual grants to improve state and local capacity for environmental reviews, while establishing safeguards against natural gas export approvals that would significantly increase domestic prices or harm low-income and tribal communities.