WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, at a hearing of the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday addressed the importance of
working with the electric industry to improve the nation’s cyber security.
“The
danger posed to our nation’s electricity infrastructure from a possible cyber
attack is clear and should prompt Congress to provide government agencies with
the authority to respond to such threats and vulnerabilities in a timely
manner,” Murkowski said.
The
Energy Committee is one of seven Senate committees examining the cyber issue.
The Energy Committee is considering a measure that would improve cyber security
in partnership with the nation’s electricity providers, which is the only
industry with mandatory and enforceable cyber security standards.
“We
will continue to work with the electric industry and other stakeholders to
improve security of the national grid,” Murkowski said. “One area that must not
be overlooked is the timely sharing of information between the government and
our partners in the private sector on potential threats.”
“The
measure we are considering today is just one piece of the cyber security issue.
A number of other committees are looking at related issues,” Murkowski said.
“We will do our part on this committee by working to report out the electricity
portion, and if the full Senate decides to take a comprehensive approach on
cyber legislation, we will work with other committees and Senate leadership to
fit our piece into a broader bill.”
Background
on Discussion Draft
The
draft legislation aims to provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) and the Department of Energy with tools to address known risks and
weaknesses, as well as future threats, to the electric grid. It also
incorporates Section 215 of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which tasked an
electric reliability organization (NERC) with developing mandatory, enforceable
reliability standards in partnership with industry stakeholders.
The
discussion draft authorizes FERC to:
- Determine
whether the existing suite of reliability standards is adequate to protect
critical electric infrastructure from cyber security vulnerabilities. - Require
NERC to submit a proposed reliability standard (or modification to an existing
standard) that adequately protects critical electric infrastructure from cyber
security vulnerabilities, if FERC determines that the existing suite of
reliability standards is inadequate. - Issue
an interim final rule that adequately protects critical electric infrastructure
from cyber security vulnerabilities if NERC fails to do so.
The
discussion draft authorizes the Secretary of Energy to:
- Take
action, with or without notice, that will best avert or mitigate a cyber
security threat if it’s determined that immediate action is necessary.
Such action is applicable to persons subject to FERC jurisdiction and is
limited to a 90-day period.
###