WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting during which two priority bills for U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) were advanced out of committee. The bills, S. 2702, the Integrated Energy Systems Act, and S. 2556, the PROTECT Act, will next be considered by the full Senate.

“Strengthening our cybersecurity technologies and nuclear energy hybrid systems are important components to ensuring U.S. energy leadership at home and abroad,” said Senator Risch. “I thank Chairman Murkowski for bringing these important bills before the committee and I look forward to seeing them advance to the full Senate for a vote.”

Risch introduced the Integrated Energy Systems Act with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and is a leading cosponsor of the PROTECT Act with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Manchin. Additionally, provisions of Risch’s bicameral geothermal legislation were included in a larger bill that also advanced out of committee.

More about the bills:

S. 2702, the Integrated Energy Systems Act: Would establish an integrated energy systems program at DOE to accelerate the research and development of nuclear hybrid energy systems to produce hydrogen and for other purposes.

S. 2556, the PROTECT Act: Would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to incentivize investments in advanced cybersecurity technologies by electric utilities.  

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