Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, today, along with my colleague Senator Heller, I am introducing the Storage Technology for Operational Readiness and Generating Energy Act, or STORAGE Act. I thank Senator Heller for his work with me on this bipartisan bill.

The advent of energy storage capacity means unused energy from renewable sources can be made available for use when needed, rather than wasted. As a result, advances in energy storage can help improve the reliability, resiliency, and flexibility of the grid, as well as reduce the potential for future rate increases for consumers.

To further encourage the research and development of energy storage, the legislation we are introducing authorizes the Secretary of Energy to coordinate efforts among various existing programs at the Department of Energy. By streamlining these energy storage research and development programs, we hope we will maximize efficiency of funds and expand this vital research. I am pleased that the Senate has already included an amendment I offered with Senator Heller to add these provisions as part of the Energy Policy Modernization Act that we passed earlier this year.

Our bill also amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 19781, or PURPA, to add energy storage systems to the list of strategies states should consider when developing their energy plan in an effort to promote energy conservation and greater use of domestic energy. The bill does not mandate the implementation of this or any technology. Rather it simply encourages states to analyze whether energy storage would provide benefits to the overall system. I look forward to working with Senator Heller and our colleagues to also find a path forward for these provisions.

I urge our colleagues to join in supporting the STORAGE Act and taking commonsense steps to advance energy storage technology. ______

By Mr. ALEXANDER:

S. 3169. A bill to support basic energy research and eliminate the wind production tax credit; to the Committee on Finance.

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