CHARGE Act

Key Points

• This bill would stop companies from importing energy storage systems, like large industrial batteries, if they are made by Chinese entities and have remote monitoring features.
• The goal is to prevent the Chinese government from using "backdoors" in these systems to spy on or disrupt the American electric grid and other critical infrastructure.
• Anyone who knowingly breaks this law could face serious penalties, including up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for every shipment they try to bring in.
• Within two months of the bill becoming law, border agents would be required to set up a system to identify and block these specific Chinese products at the border.
• The government would also start tracking how much Chinese energy technology is already being used in the U.S. to better understand potential risks to national security.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.