U.S. House Bipartisan Action Reauthorizes SEP and Supports Energy Emergency Actions

Source: NASEO

 On June 22, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed – on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis (398 to 21) – H.R. 1374, which reauthorizes the U.S. State Energy Program at $90 million and supports states’ development and strengthening of State Energy Emergency Plans and actions (or energy security plans). The bill outlines several key requirements of a state’s energy emergency plan, which include addressing all fuels and cybersecurity, providing a state energy profile, addressing potential hazards to each energy sector or system, providing a risk assessment of energy infrastructure and cross-sector interdependences, providing a risk mitigation approach to enhance reliability and end-use resilience, and addressing multi-state, Indian Tribe, and regional coordination planning and response. NASEO strongly supports H.R. 1374 and has worked with the bill’s co-sponsors, Representative Rush (D-IL), Representative Upton (R-MI) and Representative Case (D-HI), to develop the legislation in the last Congress where it passed by unanimous consent. Complimentary legislation has not yet been reintroduced (following introduction in the last Congress) in the U.S. Senate, and NASEO continues to work with Senate leaders to advance state energy emergency, resilience, clean energy, infrastructure, workforce, and equity priorities.