WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Ohio lawmaker introduced legislation that would bind future presidents to President Donald Trump’s energy policies prioritizing nuclear and natural gas energy sources over wind and solar power, in an attempt to stabilize grid reliability.

U.S. power consumption will reach record highs in 2025 and 2026, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Energy demand increases are growing due to AI, data and cryptocurrency centers, as well as electricity being used more for heat and transportation, as opposed to fossil fuels. Without proper planning, the higher demand could threaten the nation’s energy security, which the IEA defines as “uninterrupted access to energy… at an affordable price.”

“Grid reliability is the most important thing we have right now,” said Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio.

Balderson recently introduced the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act, which would define “affordable,” “reliable” and “clean” as they pertain to energy. The definitions can currently be left open to interpretation, leading to shifts from one presidential administration to the next in which energy sources to invest. Such shifts can also lead to industry disruption and lower overall baseload capacity.

“We need to make sure that we have that capacity and make sure that when our constituents, when our companies, when our small businesses go in and they turn the lights on, that those lights come on,” Balderson said.

Energy policy experts said the bill would address a real problem, but that that its definitions favor investing in energy sources like natural gas and nuclear over wind and solar, in effect codifying Trump’s energy policy.

In particular, the bill defines “reliable” energy sources as dispatchable power sources, meaning they provide electricity at a consistent rate. That excludes sources with “intermittent availability” like wind and solar, which depend on the weather.

“If you block a certain power source or a certain type of power in favor of others, that is a source of concern,” said Andrei Afanasev, a physics professor at George Washington University and former senior advisor in the Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy during the Biden administration.

Afanasev said he understood the need to keep fossil fuel sources online to build baseload energy capacity, but would like to see more flexible definitions to include renewables as well. He pointed out that batteries can store energy from intermittent energy sources to be available at all times, though such batteries are expensive.

“My personal opinion is that you need to keep a fair balance between different energy sources, let markets speak and give a friendly hand to the industry if the industry needs it,” he said. “It seems to me [the bill] is missing some necessary detail.”

Balderson, who chairs the House GOP Energy Action Team, said the bill would merely undo what he said was the Biden administration’s overemphasis on solar energy.

“I feel that we’re not advancing certain energies,” he said.

President Trump has put energy front and center in his second term. On his first day in office, he declared an energy emergency in order to fast track new fossil fuel projects, but has also taken steps to hamper renewable energy projects.