A bipartisan group of members of Congress announced on March 21 that it is reintroducing legislation aiming to extend a central U.S.-Israel energy partnership through 2034.
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) submitted the BIRD Energy and U.S.-Israel Energy Center Reauthorization Act, “ensuring continued collaboration on clean energy innovation, energy security and economic growth in both nations.”
BIRD is an acronym for Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development. BIRD Energy refers to the implementation of an agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Israeli Ministry of Energy and the Israel Innovation Authority and the BIRD Foundation.
“Since its inception, the BIRD Energy program has provided funding for projects driving advancements in cutting-edge clean energy technologies, such as energy storage, renewable energy and cybersecurity for energy infrastructure,” the congressmen stated.
“The program has facilitated groundbreaking collaborations between U.S. and Israeli companies, resulting in innovations like flexible solar panels for wireless electronics and solar energy production systems that operate over water reservoirs,” the lawmakers added.
By reauthorizing the program, the legislation would strengthen U.S.-Israel cooperation in clean energy technology and research, expand investments in hydrogen, fusion energy and modernized energy infrastructure and enhance energy security through advancements in smart grid systems and efficiency programs, per the lawmakers.
It would also support economic innovation and job creation in both countries, they said.
The bill will support the development of “cutting-edge technologies like hydrogen and fusion energy while strengthening our shared energy infrastructure,” Wasserman Schultz stated.
The U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation program has assisted in advancing the commercialization of clean energy technologies, which Wilson said “brings together the best of both nations’ capabilities to advance our joint energy goals.”