The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will mark up legislation this week to establish a State Department office tasked with shoring up energy and minerals abroad to counter China’s grip on global markets.
The committee will take up an amended version of S. 4392, the “Energy Security Pacts Act,“ from Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.). It would set up an Office of Energy Security Pacts to be led by someone appointed by the secretary of State.
The office would be required to coordinate with other parts of the federal government — including the Energy, Interior and Commerce departments — to establish 10-year pacts with low- and middle-income partner countries to develop their energy and electricity sectors. The bill also calls on the president to appoint a council to oversee the creation of those pacts.
The goal, according to the legislation, is to increase U.S. and the host country’s access to energy and electricity, as well as critical mineral supply chains that Beijing currently dominates.
