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This week, the president signed into law two bipartisan bills led by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler to strengthen grid security and improve energy efficiency in Southwest Washington.

The Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act and Grid Modernization Research and Development Act were included in the funding package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

“These energy solutions I’m leading tackle two important needs: improving security of our energy grid from cyberattacks and natural disasters, and improving the durability of our energy sources,” Herrera Beutler said. “I’m pleased that Congress has approved these two critical pieces of bipartisan legislation to increase the security, reliability, and affordability of energy for Southwest Washington residents, which will help lead our region to a more secure energy future.”

Details on Herrera Beutler’s legislation:

Grid Modernization Research and Development Act, H.R. 5428.

• Refines and expands research and development programs aimed at increasing reliability and security of the grid. It also extends the Smart Grid Regional Demonstration initiative and authorizes a research, development, and demonstration program focused on:
• Enhancing grid resilience and emergency response; and
• Designing and developing advanced controls, operations, monitoring and visualization tools for the grid

BEST Act, H.R. 2986.

• Authorizes the Department of Energy to establish a grid-scale storage research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) program to advance energy storage technologies and creates specific objectives for energy RD&D projects, and bolsters research with federal agencies and national labs.