On May 9, 2018, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a series of legislative measures to further secure the U.S. energy infrastructure from cyberattacks. These bipartisan bills are designed to strengthen the Department of Energy’s cybersecurity readiness. 

The first bill, the Pipeline and LNG Facility Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, H.R. 5175, would establish a program to improve the Department of Energy’s role and responsibilities in securing energy pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities from physical and cyber threats. The program would be comprised of policies and procedures to coordinate the various energy stakeholders so as to improve the security, resiliency, and survivability of energy infrastructure, as well as to coordinate response to and recovery from any physical or cyber incident. 

Another, the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act, H.R. 5240, aims to bolster public-private partnerships to better secure electric utilities.  In particular, the legislation calls on the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to develop and provide for voluntary implementation of maturity models, self-assessments, and auditing methods for assessing both the physical security and cybersecurity of electric utilities. The bill also calls for increased opportunities for sharing best practices within the energy sector, as well as increased training within the industry to address and mitigate cybersecurity supply chain management risks. 

The third, the Cyber Sense Act of 2018, H.R. 5239, would require the Department of Energy to establish a voluntary Cyber Sense program to certify the cybersecurity of bulk-power system products. Specifically, the program would test, identify and promote products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system that are cyber-secure, as well as provide technical assistance to the electrical industry to develop solutions to cybersecurity vulnerabilities in products. 

Finally, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act, H.R. 5174, would amend the Department of Energy Organization Act to clarify that the Department of Energy’s responsibilities include energy cybersecurity. 

All four pieces of legislation will now go to the full House for a vote.