Introduction - On April 21, pursuant to FPA Section 219A(c), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) established rules, providing incentive-based rate treatment for utilities making certain voluntary...more
FERC has issued its final rule paving the way for incentive-based rate treatment for electric utilities that make certain voluntary cybersecurity investments. As we first noted in 2020 when describing the proposed rule, the...more
Below are summaries of the agenda items for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's open meeting to be held on April 20, 2023, pursuant to the sunshine notice released on April 13, 2023....more
At its open monthly meeting on March 16, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a new cybersecurity standard proposed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to address the supply...more
On September 22, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the “Commission”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) proposing revisions to its regulations to establish rate incentives for public utilities...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) staff prepared an October 8th report titled: Lessons Learned from Commission-Led CIP Reliability Audits (“Report”) The Report is intended to offer recommendations to...more
Building off its White Paper issued last summer, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the “Commission”) has proposed changes to its regulations that would encourage more robust investment in cybersecurity...more
At its December open meeting, FERC proposed to establish rules for incentive-based rate treatments for voluntary cybersecurity investments by a public utility. If approved, the regulations would provide incentives for...more
On December 17, 2020, FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to revise its regulations to establish incentives for public utilities to make certain cybersecurity investments that go beyond the current...more
On Thursday, December 17, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR” or “Proposed Rule”) seeking comment on proposals that would allow public utilities to make a...more
Below are brief summaries of the agenda items for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's June 20, 2019 meeting, pursuant to the agenda as issued on June 13, 2019. Agenda item H-1 has not been summarized due to omission...more
Earlier this month, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) Chairman Neil Chaterjee testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on issues related to cybersecurity in the energy industry. ...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) published an October 26th Federal Register notice approving supply chain risk management Reliability Standards: CIP-013-1 (Cyber Security – (Supply Chain Risk Management) -...more
On July 19, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”), pursuant to its authority under section 215 of the Federal Power Act, issued a final rule directing the North American Electric Reliability...more
On December 21, 2017, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously voted to direct the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to modify existing CIP Reliability Standard (CIP-008-5)...more
On December 7, 2016, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued proposed procedures that would govern emergency orders issued by the Secretary of DOE, following the president’s declaration of a Grid Security Emergency. These...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued a Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”) and Final Rule at the end of July to address several urgent cybersecurity issues affecting the bulk electric system. FERC is taking these...more
In an implicit acknowledgment that the Federal government's response to cyberattacks is diffused among quite a number of agencies, the White House issued Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 41 last week (July 26). The...more
Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation to Exceed Coal-Fired Generation in 2016: The EIA recently projected that for the first time, on an annual basis, natural gas will exceed coal as a fuel for electric power generation in...more
As we previously reported, the Senate recently passed the Energy Policy Modernization Act (Act), which promotes renewable energy, improves the energy efficiency of buildings and directs investments towards the research and...more
Cybersecurity of the electric power grid and energy sector as a whole has been the subject of heightened Congressional attention given the integral role the industry plays in our economy. According to a 2015 U.S. Senate...more
Amendments to Federal Power Act grant the DOE authority to order emergency protective actions by utilities, provide greater protections for Critical Energy Infrastructure Information, and exempt utilities from environmental...more
Ensuring the reliability of the electric power grid in times of extreme weather and other times of peak usage is critical to avoid interruptions in power and black outs. Reflecting on the 2014 Polar Vortex, the paramount...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) July 16, 2015, proposing to approve various Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) reliability standards proposed by the North...more