S.Amdt. 6649

This amendment, proposed by Mrs. Shaheen and Mr. Hagerty, aims to add a section titled Indo-Pacific Energy Resilience to bill S. 4784. Its purpose is to authorize the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Energy to work together to reduce the reliance of Indo-Pacific countries on energy imports from countries of concern.

The amendment seeks to add the following requirements to the bill:

• Identification of Vulnerabilities: The Secretary of State and Secretary of Energy are authorized to identify Indo-Pacific countries with energy vulnerabilities caused by disruptions to maritime energy transit routes or global energy markets.

• Diversification and Resilience: The amendment mandates prioritizing efforts to help these countries diversify their energy sources, explore cost-effective alternatives to imports from countries of concern, and strengthen their own energy security and efficiency.

• Accountability through Reporting: The Secretary of State and Secretary of Energy must submit a report to specific congressional committees every year for 3 years. This report must detail actions taken to diversify energy, barriers encountered, viable alternatives found, and opportunities to improve energy resilience in the region.

• Defined Countries of Concern: The amendment specifies that countries of concern include the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.