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[Pages S1273-S1274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
S. 2657
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, this week, the Senate has a good
opportunity to update the laws governing the way we harness and deploy
America's tremendous domestic energy resources. It has been well over a
decade since the last time comprehensive energy legislation was signed
into Federal law.
Following our overwhelming vote yesterday to proceed to consideration
of the American Energy Innovation Act, the Senate is on track to change
that very soon. The American Energy Innovation Act put forward by
Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Manchin is thoroughly bipartisan.
It contains provisions sponsored or cosponsored by more than 60 of our
colleagues. It has come to include 50 individual pieces of legislation
that the Energy and Natural Resources Committee considered last year.
Over the past 3 years, the Trump administration and this Congress
have worked together to secure historic advances for both the producers
and consumers of affordable domestic energy. We have opened access to
new energy reserves, streamlined the regulation of liquid natural gas
exports, and halted or reversed the most egregious Obama-era regulatory
burdens. The growing record is clear. We have helped to usher in a
prosperous new era of U.S. energy independence.
The legislation we are considering this week is designed to build on
those successes. It takes proactive steps to ensure the security,
efficiency, and affordability of American energy for years to come.
First, it puts a strong tailwind behind programs, grants, and
research efforts that are focused on energy innovation. That means
significant investments in improving energy efficiency and grid storage
technologies; new resources for the development of renewable
geothermal, nuclear, and other energy sources to help sustain domestic
energy independence; reauthorization for the Department of Energy's
cutting-edge research at the Advanced Research Projects Agency; and a
renewed commitment to carbon capture, utilization, and storage at coal
production facilities.
In addition to energy innovation, the legislation also focuses on
energy security. Since the last comprehensive update to the Federal
energy laws in 2007, our Nation's critical infrastructure, including
the electric grid, has changed significantly, and so have the threats
it faces. Our colleagues' legislation tackles this head-on. It
introduces incentives for electrical grid modernization and cyber
security projects. It encourages utility providers to take proactive
measures to protect ratepayers from the devastating effects of
potential cyber attacks. It makes new technical cyber security
assistance available to municipalities and rural utilities and
authorizes grant funding for on-the-job workforce retraining.
[[Page S1274]]
Perhaps most importantly, the legislation before us is not only
designed for continued advances in areas where the U.S. energy sector
has seen success, it is also meant to take a sober assessment of where
we are falling short.
As my colleague Chairman Murkowski noted yesterday, the United States
currently relies on foreign imports to meet our demand for dozens of
mineral commodities. We are talking about rare substances with critical
applications in manufacturing, energy production, and national
security. These are critical products, but at present, domestic
production does not satisfy domestic demand. That is why this
legislation provides for new survey and cataloging efforts to identify
new domestic supplies of important materials. It invests in extraction
technologies that would harness existing mining infrastructure in
places like Appalachian coal country to help meet the demand.
As the senior Senator from Kentucky, I know the importance of these
investments firsthand. The working families and job creators in my
State know that clean coal technologies and longstanding mining
operations can continue to add tremendous value to the security and
prosperity of our Nation.
There is a reason why this legislation has earned widespread praise
from the researchers and energy industry leaders who would be affected
the most. It is a product of serious, good-faith, bipartisan work. That
is why organizations from the National Mining Association to the
Environmental Defense Fund have found common ground in endorsing it.
I will have more to say about this legislation in the coming days,
but right now, I am grateful for our colleagues on the Energy Committee
for their work in bringing it to the floor. I look forward to
considering their important legislation in the days ahead, and I would
encourage all Members to join me in supporting this excellent work.
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