Cortez Masto Bills to Bolster American Geothermal Production, Protect the Energy Grid Clear Key Senate Hurdle

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Washington, D.C. - Today, two of U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's (D-Nev.) bipartisan bills, the Next Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act and the Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid Act(SECURE Grid Act), passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Next-generation geothermal technology uses the heat (100-400º+ C) from rocks several kilometers below the surface of the earth to produce electricity. The Next Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), would establish next-generation geothermal Research and Development Programs at the Department of Energy. The legislation now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

States must submit a State Energy Security Plan (SESP) to receive funds from the State Energy Program. The SECURE Grid Act, cosponsored by U.S. Senators Murkowski and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), would require these state plans to account for additional grid threats - such as supply chain dynamics, weather-related threats and vulnerabilities, and the potential for physical grid attacks. The legislation has already passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

"American energy security isn't a partisan issue - it touches the lives of every American from Anchorage to Elko," said Senator Cortez Masto. "Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources took an important step toward unleashing geothermal energy and protecting our electric grids. I look forward to the Senate immediately passing these critical bills."

During today's hearing, Senator Cortez Masto pushed Committee Chairman Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) to move forward with her Southern Nevada lands bill, Senator Jacky Rosen's (D-Nev.) Washoe County lands bill, and Congressman Mark Amodei's (R-Nev.-02) Northern Nevada lands bill in November.

Senator Cortez Masto has consistently led efforts in Congress to bolster American energy production and secure the electric grid. She has led bipartisan legislation to encourage the production of electric distribution transformers, devices that are critical to the energy grid; to secure America's energy supply chain; to increase critical mineral production in the American West; and to bolster American hydroelectric power production. Cortez Masto has called on the Trump Administration to take strategic action to protect, invest in, and strengthen America's critical mineral supply chain.

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