Lawmakers launch energy initiative

As part of an effort to expand the nation’s global energy reach, a group of Senate lawmakers recently developed an energy initiative designed to nurture such an endeavor.

The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee recently conducted a hearing to unveil the Strategic Energy Initiative. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the LNG hearing, said that the initiative would provide a framework to strengthen the country’s geopolitical posture.

The tools include federal departments and agencies, such as the Department of Energy, as well as trade and finance-related institutions such as the Trade Development Agency, the Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corporation.

“Congress is uniquely positioned to provide strategic direction through its constitutional responsibilities of oversight and legislation,” the Committee expressed via a hearing presentation. “By focusing on long-term relationships, tightly within the nexus of raw commodities and infrastructure domestically and internationally, the nation will enhance its security, improve its balance of trade and secure America’s position at the center of the global energy system.”

The Committee maintains the strategic environment is a competitive environment.

“Expanding the global reach of American energy requires a robust strategy that harnesses our nation’s vast means in effective ways to achieve secure and prosperous ends,” the Committee concluded. “The Strategic Energy Initiative seeks to accomplish just that.”