Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3050) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide Federal financial assistance to States to implement, review, and revise State energy security plans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill. It really is. This bill, H.R. 3050, is a bipartisan bill introduced by myself and by my good friend and colleague across the aisle, Mr. Rush. It is bipartisan.

This bill reauthorizes the State Energy Program and it strengthens our

energy emergency planning and preparedness efforts in a big-time way. This bill builds upon the Energy and Commerce Committee's impressive record of hearings and legislation focused on energy security, emergency preparedness, job creation, and infrastructure protection and resilience.

Across the country, States have to respond to a variety of hazards, including hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fuel supply disruptions, physical and, yes, cyber threats, too. This legislation provides States with tools in the toolbox so that they have flexibility that they need to address local energy challenges.

It ensures that State energy security planning efforts address fuel supply issues, assess State energy profiles, address potential hazards to each energy sector. It mitigates risk to enhance reliability and incorporate regional planning efforts.

Let's face it, the consumer at home, businesses trying to put out a product, they want to make sure that the electricity is on. They don't care what the excuse is. They want it on.

This bill makes significant strides to protect our Nation's fuel and electric infrastructure from physical and cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. It makes sure that we are thinking ahead not just about the actual threat, but, in fact, how our energy and electric systems might be vulnerable in a broader sense.

The bill also encourages mutual assistance, an essential part of responding and restoring in the event of an energy emergency. Teamwork: prioritizing and elevating energy security planning and emergency preparedness is, yes, an important step in the face of increased threats, vulnerabilities, and interdependencies of energy infrastructure and end-use systems.

This bill is important and is going to get to the President's desk in a bipartisan way. Again, I thank my good friend and colleague for his help in getting this bill through our committee and here to the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), former chairman and now vice chairman of the influential and powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, coming from the good State of Texas versus the great State of Michigan.

(Mr. BARTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude by saying that I thank the gentleman from Texas for his remarks. It was an important amendment. God help us if something happens in our country because of a physical or cyber attack. And if it does, we always wonder and ask the questions: What do we do?

This is a step in advance to make sure that, in fact, we do have, as I said earlier, the tools in the toolbox to try and prevent such a travesty from happening that would impact the Nation in a major way. So it is important that this legislation pass this afternoon; that the Senate take it up as quickly as they can; that the President sign it; and that it then gets implemented to protect all of our citizens from East to West, to North, to South. It is an important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to also commend my friend and my colleague from the great State of Michigan, the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, my longstanding friend, Mr. Upton, for working with my office to bring H.R. 3050, the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2017, to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, this Upton-Rush bill represents bipartisan negotiation between Chairman Upton and myself to much-needed Federal guidance and resources to the States that are on the front lines when it comes to protecting critical energy infrastructure and responding once disaster strikes.

Members on both side of the aisle, Mr. Speaker, support the State Energy Program, and this bill will help provide resources to further develop and enhance the State energy security plans.

Since their inception in the 1970s, State Energy Programs, bolstered by Federal aid, have assisted States in developing these energy security plans in order to help prevent disasters from happening and to mitigate the damage once they do occur.

Mr. Speaker, funding provided in this bill will help States to implement, revise, and to review their energy security plans while also laying out criteria for the contents of these plans. These emergency plans have been instrumental in improving States' abilities to identify potential energy disruptions, quantify the effects of the disruptions, establish response plans, and limit the risk of further disturbances, whether they be natural or manmade.

Federal funding and leadership has also been critical in helping States and local stakeholders identify the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies in times of emergencies while also supporting training and response exercises.

Mr. Speaker, as the Trump administration weakens America's leadership role globally by signaling its intentions to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, it is even more vital that we provide the resources and funding needed for States to take more of a permanent role in advancing smart and sustainable energy policy.

Mr. Speaker, Federal leadership and investment must continue to play a vital role in developing State Energy Assurance Plans, and it is my hope and my expectation that this legislation will indeed bolster these State-led programs by enhancing Federal support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is the great State of Texas. I want to set the Record straight on that.

I commend Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Rush for bringing this bipartisan bill the floor. All we hear is about how we don't get along, Mr. Speaker. Nobody is watching when we do get along. And all of the bills that are being debated and voted on on the House floor today are examples of bipartisanship at the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Mr. Upton, Mr. Rush, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Walden, and the other ranking members and subcommittee chairmen are to be commended for that.

One of the bipartisan amendments, which was adopted in full committee on this bill, is a bipartisan amendment from Mr. McNerney, a Democrat from California, and myself, that deals with the cybersecurity and would suggest that, as these States provide these energy security plans to the Department of Energy, they include an assessment of cybersecurity.

So I can't tell you that this is the most important amendment that has ever been added to a bill in our committee, but it is a very good amendment, a very positive amendment. As plans are developed, including an assessment of cybersecurity threats and solutions to those threats, it should make the grid better, more reliable, and help make our country safer.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 3050. Again, I commend Mr. Upton and Mr. Rush for working together, and I hope the House very quickly passes this and sends it to the other body.