House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement upon Senate passage of S.2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015:

“I thank Senator Murkowski for her work on this legislation and congratulate the chamber for acting on a bill. There are a number of additions to the bill added last night through the amendment process that the Committee is still reviewing. There are provisions that certainly need to be addressed but I look forward to conferencing with the Senate and advancing H.R. 8.”

 H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act, which passed the House in December 2015, included two bipartisan energy infrastructure bills from the Committee on Natural Resources: 

• H.R. 2295, introduced by Reps. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and Cedric Richmond (D-LA), streamlines the approval process for natural gas pipelines across federal lands to better serve American families and businesses, and is supported by America’s Natural Gas Alliance, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, American Gas Association, Gas Processers Association, American Petroleum Institute, Plastics Pipe Institute, and jointly by America’s Natural Gas Alliance and American Petroleum Institute.

• H.R. 2358, introduced by Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR), improves the safety and reliability of the electric grid on federal lands reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires and costly electricity blackouts, and is supported by National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, American Public Power Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Western Governors’ Association and Edison Electric Institute.