,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bgbb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #d1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,ricketts 7for himself and ,mr4 ,coons7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to promote the energy security of ,taiwan1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,taiwan ,energy ,security and ,anti-,embargo ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,taiwan is a vital democratic partner the energy security of which is critical to the strategic interests of the ,united ,states in the ,indo-,pacific region4 7#b7 ,enhancing ,taiwan's energy resilience through diversified and reliable sources reduces vulnerability to coercion1 disruption1 or attack by authoritarian regimes4 7#c7 ,the ,united ,states possesses abundant supplies of liquefied natural gas and other energy resources that support economic growth1 job creation1 and the national security interests of the ,united ,states4 7#d7 ,promoting ,united ,states energy exports to and partnerships with ,taiwan aligns with ,united ,states energy diplomacy objectives1 strengthens bilateral economic and security ties1 and contributes to regional stability4 7#e7 ,the ,alaska ,liquefied ,natural ,gas ,project1 which has received pledged support from ,taiwan's state energy firm ,,cpc ,corp1 would enhance the ability of the ,united ,states to supply ,taiwan and other allies and partners of the ,united ,states in the ,indo-,pacific with a cost-effective1 reliable supply of energy4 7#f7 ,taiwan's energy infrastructure1 including electric grid systems and liquefied natural gas import facilities1 is vulnerable to asymmetric and kinetic threats from the ,people's ,republic of ,china4 7#g7 ,supporting ,taiwan's efforts to improve the resilience and security of its energy infrastructure advances deterrence and promotes continuity of government operations in the event of a crisis4 #c4 ,promotion of liquefied natural gas exports and energy infrastructure resilience for ,taiwan ,the ,taiwan ,enhanced ,resilience ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ccea et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #h ,promotion of liquefied natural gas exports and energy infrastructure resilience for ,taiwan #eedj;,a4 ,definitions ,in this part3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation1 and the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,asymmetric threat ,the term asymmetric threat means a threat posed by unconventional means1 including a cyberattack1 sabotage1 or economic coercion1 designed to undermine or disrupt the operation of critical infrastructure4 #eedj;,b4 ,promotion of liquefied natural gas exports to ,taiwan 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,commerce and the ,secretary of ,energy1 shall prioritize efforts to support and facilitate increased exportation to ,taiwan of liquefied natural gas produced in the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,required activities ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,secretaries shall-- 7#a7 engage with ,united ,states liquefied natural gas producers1 exporters1 and infrastructure entities to identify and address barriers to liquefied natural gas exports and storage projects intended for the market of ,taiwan2 7#b7 facilitate coordination between ,united ,states private sector entities and relevant government and private sector stakeholders in ,taiwan2 7#c7 provide diplomatic and technical support to streamline regulatory processes and expedite permitting for liquefied natural gas export and storage infrastructure projects linked to ,taiwan2 7#d7 consult with the ,government of ,taiwan to assess and strengthen liquefied natural gas import and storage capabilities2 and 7#e7 coordinate interagency efforts to ensure cohesive and sustained ,united ,states support for liquefied natural gas exports to ,taiwan4 #eedj;,c4 ,energy infrastructure resilience capacity building 7a7 ,requirement ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of the ,taiwan ,energy ,security and ,anti-,embargo ,act of #bjbe1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,secretary of ,energy1 shall seek to engage with appropriate officials of ,taiwan for the purpose of cooperating with the ,ministry of ,foreign ,affairs1 the ,ministry of the ,interior1 the ,ministry of ,defense1 and the head of any other applicable ministry of ,taiwan for capacity building to enhance energy infrastructure resilience1 including defensive military cybersecurity activities4 7b7 ,identification of activities ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,state may identify cooperative activities-- 7#a7 to enhance cybersecurity programs to protect grid operating systems1 liquefied natural gas terminals1 and supervisory control and data acquisition systems2 7#b7 to support physical security improvements1 operational redundancy1 and continuity-of-operations planning2 7#c7 to engage in joint training exercises and scenario-based planning with relevant agencies in ,taiwan2 and 7#d7 to support workforce development1 emergency response planning1 and institutional modernization of energy sector operators4 7c7 ,united ,states-,taiwan energy security center ,the ,secretary of ,state may establish a joint ,united ,states-,taiwan ,energy ,security ,center in the ,united ,states1 leveraging the expertise of institutions of higher education and private sector entities to foster dialogue and collaboration for academic cooperation in energy security and resilience4 7d7 ,authorization of assistance ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,secretary of ,energy1 may provide technical assistance to support the activities described in subsection 7b7 or the center described in subsection 7c74 7e7 ,implementation 7#a7 ,in general ,assistance under this section shall be provided through the ,american ,institute in ,taiwan and in consultation with relevant authorities in ,taiwan1 consistent with the ,taiwan ,relations ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ccja et seq474 7#b7 ,notification ,any assistance provided by the ,department of ,state pursuant this section shall be subject to the regular notification requirements of section #fcd;,a of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bcid-a74 7f7 ,briefings ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of the ,taiwan ,energy ,security and ,anti-,embargo ,act of #bjbe1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,secretary of ,energy1 shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the implementation of this section4 #eedj;,d4 ,annual report 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of the ,taiwan ,energy ,security and ,anti-,embargo ,act of #bjbe1 and annually thereafter for #c years1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,commerce1 the ,secretary of ,energy1 and the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that-- 7#a7 describes actions taken under this part2 7#b7 identifies barriers to-- 7,a7 increased exportation of liquefied natural gas to ,taiwan2 and 7,b7 energy infrastructure security cooperation2 7#c7 evaluates the effectiveness of capacity building and technical assistance activities carried out under section #eedj;,c2 and 7#d7 provides recommendations to expand and improve future bilateral energy cooperation between the ,united ,states and ,taiwan4 7b7 ,form ,each report required by subsection 7a7 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex4 4 #d4 ,training to improve ,taiwan's critical energy infrastructure protection ,section #eejd7;a77#c7 of the ,taiwan ,enhanced ,resilience ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ccec7;a77#c77 is amended by inserting after capabilities the following3 and critical energy infrastructure protection4 #e4 ,findings and sense of ,congress regarding ,taiwan's use of nuclear energy 7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,according to the ,international ,atomic ,energy ,agency1 nuclear energy-- 7,a7 is the second safest source of energy2 7,b7 is one of only #b clean energies that offer non-stop baseload power required for sustainable economic growth and improved human welfare2 and 7,c7 when compared with other sources of electricity from cradle to grave1 has the lowest carbon footprint1 uses fewer materials1 and takes up less land4 7#b7 ,a nuclear fuel assembly lasts up to #f years1 making supply more resistant to maritime disruption4 7#c7 ,taiwan has built a robust civilian nuclear capability over previous decades that has shown the potential to provide clean1 reliable power to ,taiwan4 7#d7 ,on ,may #ag1 #bjbe1 the ,maanshan-#b1 ,taiwan's last operating nuclear power plant1 was shut down after its #dj-year operating license expired4 7#e7 ,there are compelling economic and security reasons to evaluate placing existing infrastructure back in service to ensure ,taiwan has clean1 reliable power that is more resilient in a contingency4 7#f7 ,as a result of ,taiwan's substantial use of energy in industrial manufacturing and production1 and emerging energy requirements for electrification1 artificial intelligence1 and data center support1 there is considerable benefit for ,taiwan to evaluate new small modular reactors technology to augment its energy capacity and resilience4 7#g7 ,as ,taiwan modernizes its military1 the power demand from command-and-control systems1 intelligence platforms1 drone operations1 and joint battlespace integration will continue to increase4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 it is in the interests of both the ,united ,states and ,taiwan for the ,government of ,taiwan to consider-- 7,a7 maintaining nuclear power as an energy source2 and 7,b7 utilizing new nuclear technologies1 including ,gen ,,iii nuclear reactors and small modular reactor technology2 and 7#b7 the ,united ,states should prioritize assistance and cooperation with ,taiwan on nuclear energy to improve technology exports and job creation in the ,united ,states and energy security and resilience in ,taiwan4 #f4 ,insurance for vessels transporting vital goods to strategic partners ,section #ecijb of title #df1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7d7 ,vessels transporting vital goods to strategic partners 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,transportation may provide insurance and reinsurance under this chapter for any vessel engaged in commerce transporting critical energy1 humanitarian1 or other goods to ,taiwan or another strategic partner of the ,united ,states that is facing coercive maritime threats if the ,secretary determines1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,secretary of ,state1 and the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 that providing such insurance or reinsurance is necessary to support vital strategic commerce or to deter coercive maritime behavior that undermines regional security4 7#b7 ,nonapplicability of certain condition ,the condition under section #ecijb7;c7 shall not apply with respect to a vessel described in paragraph 7#a74 4