Should the Energy Dept. Give States Money to Protect the Electrical Grid From Foreign & Cyber Attacks? (H.R. 2114)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 2114?
(Updated October 23, 2019)
This bill — the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2019 — would provide financial and technical assistance (such as tools for self-assessment, assisting with threat assessment and training, and increasing the sharing of best practices and data collection) to State Energy Offices to plan for and respond to energy disruptions from both physical and cyber threats. To do this, this bill would authorize the Dept. of Energy (DOE) to provide $90 million in annual financial assistance to states to develop or revise State Energy Security Plans through the FY2018-2022 period.
A State Security Plan would assess a state’s existing circumstances and propose ways to strengthen its ability to:
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Secure the energy infrastructure of the State against all physical and cybersecurity threats;
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Mitigate the risk of energy supply disruptions to the state and enhance response to, and recovery from energy disruptions; and
- Ensure the state has a reliable, secure, and resilient energy infrastructure.
Argument in favor
Foreign rivals like Iran are building up their capabilities to attack critical U.S. infrastructure. States need to be prepared for these risks, and the federal government should help them prepare through the grant program this bill would create.
Argument opposed
Given that threats to the U.S. energy grid are international, not local, it should be solely the federal government’s responsibility to lead the development of strategies for keeping the grid safe.
Impact
Energy security; energy grid; protecting the U.S. energy grid from cyber and physical attacks; State Energy Offices; Dept. of Energy (DOE); and DOE assistance for State Energy Offices to develop or revise State Energy Security Plans.
Cost of H.R. 2114
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced this bill to help states secure their power supplies. In opening remarks at the committee’s hearing "Investing in America’s Energy Infrastructure: Improving Energy Efficiency and Creating a Diverse Workforce,” Rep. Rush said:
“Most of today’s bill enjoy bipartisan support and I would like to thank Ranking Member Upton for working with my office in cosponsoring HR 2114, the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act. This bill would provide much-need[ed] assistance to State Energy Offices to plan for and respond to energy disruptions from both physical and cyber threats, and I look forward to moving it forward.”
Senate sponsor Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) says:
“Colorado and states across the country need to secure our energy grids and be better prepared against cyber-attacks that threaten our critical infrastructure. I’ve worked with Senator Bennet on these bipartisan pieces of legislation because we both know the risk cyber-attacks pose to our country and the need for leadership on these issues. This legislation will help shore up our electric grid’s vulnerabilities. I look forward to working with my colleagues to gather more bipartisan support and see these bills signed into law.”
Senate cosponsor Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) adds:
“Increasing the resilience of our electric grid in both rural and urban America is critical to preventing a crippling cyberattack. We must protect the infrastructure that serves as the backbone for everything from hospitals and banks, to gas stations and water treatment facilities. That is why we’ve worked with Coloradans and national energy organizations to ensure our legislation provides the technical assistance they need to safeguard their communities from cyberattacks.”
Electric grid resilience advocacy organization Protect Our Power supports this legislation. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, an advisor to Protect Our Power, says:
“Protect Our Power applauds Senators Gardner and Bennet for their leadership on this vital national security issue. The threat posed by nation-states probing for ways to cripple our critical infrastructure is real, it is growing, and it is constant. Our electric grid, in particular, is highly vulnerable to attack."
This legislation has one House cosponsor, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), and hasn’t received a committee vote. Its Senate companion, sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), has one Senate cosponsor, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). Protect Our Power and Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN) support this legislation.
In the last Congress, this legislation passed the House by a voice vote with the support of one House cosponsor, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL). Its Senate companion was sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), and didn’t receive a committee vote.
Of Note: A grid resiliency study conducted by the Vermont Law School on behalf of Protect Our Power identified a pressing need for technical and financial assistance to enhance cybersecurity, particularly at smaller investor-owned utilities, public power authorities, and rural electric cooperatives.
Congressional interest in protecting the U.S. electric grid against foreign cyberattacks has increased due to reports that Iran has stepped up its cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure. Additionally, the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment found that Russia not only has the ability to execute cyberattacks against the U.S. electric grid, but is also “mapping our critical infrastructure with the long-term goal of being able to cause substantial damage.”
Media:
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Sponsoring Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) Opening Remarks at Committee Hearing
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Senate Sponsor Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) Press Release
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Protect Our Power Press Release (In Favor)
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Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN) Press Release
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The Hill
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Vermont Law School Report (Context)
Summary by Lorelei Yang
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