# 119-hr-8706: Better Energy Storage and Safety Act

119-hr-8706, Better Energy Storage and Safety Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8706
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8706
- Congress: 119
- Title: Better Energy Storage and Safety Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Strengthening energy storage safety and testing** is the bill's core aim. This bill would expand research, require lab-led benchmarking and stress testing to failure, and push data-driven diagnostics and predictive tools for batteries and other storage components. - Families and building owners: Would fund testing and diagnostics for operational and pre-code grid-connected storage to identify failure modes and improve safety for installed systems. - Firefighters and emergency responders: Would involve the U.S. Fire Administration and require evaluation of fire suppression equipment and mitigation techniques for storage-related risks. - Researchers, manufacturers, and utilities: Would require coordinated benchmarking with National Laboratories and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, raise demonstration projects from 3 to 5, and expand pilot grants that use system data and AI to predict failures. *Would authorize $30.0 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 for safety programs, providing $150.0 million in spending authority over that period.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC), 2026-05-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More funding for energy storage safety: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize $30,000,000 per year for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031. The funds would remain available until expended, totaling $150 million in authorized funding. The Department of Energy would use the money for safety research, testing, demonstrations, and related gran…
- Safer testing and demonstrations for energy storage: benefit, medium. The bill would refocus the federal energy storage research program on safety, rigorous testing, and data-driven failure prediction. It would expand the program to include components, modules, and both residential and utility systems. The Secretary would have to coordinate test methods with National…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8706 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8706)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3077)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8706 (as of 2026-09-21).