The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy on June 5 marked up and advanced two bills offered by U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) that aim to improve the nation’s energy production and infrastructure.
“Here in the United States, we must ensure that we have the right policies in place to have enough energy to power AI and make America an attractive place to build the entire AI supply chain,” Rep. Latta said. “I’m grateful to my colleagues on the Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for advancing my two bills to not only support progress in the AI space but also strengthen American-led energy production across the board.”
The subcommittee, which Rep. Latta chairs, passed the Electric Supply Chain Act, H.R. 3638, and the Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining (REFINER) Act, H.R. 3109, advancing both to the full U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.
The Electric Supply Chain Act, which Rep. Latta sponsored on May 29, would direct the U.S. Secretary of Energy to conduct regular assessments and submit reports on the supply chain for electricity generation and transmission.
The REFINER Act, which the congressman led on April 30, would require the National Petroleum Council to produce a report on the state of petrochemical refineries in the United States, according to bill summaries provided by his office.
During a recent U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing, Rep. Latta also highlighted the importance of AI permitting reform and reaffirmed the need to ensure U.S.-based energy development to support AI’s energy needs.
“Generative artificial intelligence isn’t a trend; it’s the backbone of the next industrial era,” he reiterated Thursday. “Countries around the globe are racing to build the full AI stack: data centers, chips, power, and platforms.”