Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to pass three priority bills for U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho). The bills, S. 174, the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act (SEIA), S. 903, the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), and S. 1317, the American Mineral Security Act, will be considered by the full Senate next. Risch co-introduced S. 174 with Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) and is a cosponsor of S. 903 and S. 1317.

“I thank Chairman Murkowski for bringing these important bills before the committee for consideration,” said Senator Risch. “I have worked alongside my Senate colleagues for many years on these commonsense pieces of legislation to advance U.S. energy leadership and infrastructure, and I look forward to seeing these bills come before the full Senate for a vote.”

More about the bills:

S. 174, the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act (SEIA): Would establish a two-year pilot program with the Idaho National Lab and other national laboratories to analyze security vulnerabilities in our cybersecurity systems and research and test technology to protect our country from cyberattacks.

S. 903, the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA): Would create a collaborative effort between the federal government and industry to re-establish U.S. global nuclear leadership.

S. 1317, the American Mineral Security Act: Would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign minerals by codifying a list of critical minerals, implementing permitting reforms to reduce delays, increasing research and development, and requiring nationwide resource assessments for every critical mineral.