House passes bill to provide federal funding to states for energy security
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this week that seeks to provide increased federal financial assistance to states to improve energy security.
The Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2021 (H.R. 1374) would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide more federal funding for states to implement, review, and revise their energy security plans. The bill passed by a vote of 398-21.
“Recent cyber threats, including the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, have served as sharp reminders of the urgent need to modernize and protect our nation’s infrastructure from bad actors. We are proud the House overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation today to do exactly that by allocating resources to support and enhance state energy security plans across the country. This bill will help states address vulnerabilities in their energy infrastructure and modernize it to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We are hopeful the Senate will soon act on this legislation so that it can be signed into law,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Energy Subcommittee chair, said in a joint statement.
The bill was introduced by Rush and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the Energy Subcommittee ranking member.
