The Federal Register recently published the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) notice of Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on energy sector supply chains. The RFI requests that stakeholders provide comment on a...more
FERC approved revisions to three Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Standards to expand the scope of the assets subject to supply chain cybersecurity...more
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on February 24 to address possible vulnerabilities in the supply chains of critical national economic sectors, including the energy sector. ...more
In May 2020, US President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13920, banning the unrestricted import or use of certain categories of bulk-power system electric equipment from foreign adversaries, with a focus on Russian and...more
2/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Reform ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
Russia ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
The secretary of the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued an order on December 17 prohibiting electric utilities from installing equipment or components provided by Chinese companies in electric facilities serving designated...more
This LawFlash provides an overview of the recent executive order limiting the US use of bulk-power system equipment produced by “foreign adversaries,” initial guidance on key questions, and issues that will remain unresolved...more
In an order issued on April 17, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) agreed to defer implementation of certain cybersecurity and operational reliability standards administered by the North American Electric...more
Following the increased spread of COVID-19 within the United States, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) issued a Level 2 Alert on March 10 to all users, owners, and operators of the bulk-power system,...more
3/13/2020
/ Business Continuity Plans ,
Business Travel ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Electricity ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NERC ,
Operation & Maintenance ,
Public Health ,
Reliability Standards ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Stress Tests ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommuting ,
Workplace Safety
At its open meeting on November 21, FERC announced organizational changes to enhance the agency’s focus on cybersecurity threats and challenges to electric infrastructure. Commission staff unveiled five “focus areas” related...more
The supply chain risks facing electric utilities have long been a concern for industry stakeholders and regulators alike. Reflecting those concerns, NERC submitted a report on May 28 to FERC recommending the expansion of...more
The proposal would adopt NERC standards on accelerated deadlines and expand the scope of covered assets subject to supply chain risk management. If adopted, these standards could significantly alter the electric utility...more
The proposed Reliability Standards focus on vulnerabilities in vendor products and services and would regulate the utility procurement process....more