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This week, the House of Representatives passed two bills of interest in the cybersecurity space. The first, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act (H.R. 3119), would elevate responsibility for cybersecurity emergency preparedness and response to the Assistant Secretary level at the Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of the legislation is to assign responsibility for that mission area to a Senate-confirmed official, which signals that cybersecurity for the energy sector should be a priority for DOE. The second, the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act (H.R. 3138), would create a Department of Homeland Security grant program to help state and local governments address cyberthreats. Both bills would require Senate passage in order to become law, but their passage in the House demonstrates Congress’ focus on acting on energy sector cybersecurity in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline Incident.

Also of note, a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senators Warner (D-Va.) and Rubio (R-Fla.), who are the Chair and Ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced legislation this week that would require all critical infrastructure operators to report cyber intrusions within 24 hours. APGA collaborated with other industry groups to provide feedback on this legislation prior to its introduction and will continue to work with Congress on this issue moving forward.

APGA’s Security Task Group and Legislative Subcommittee will continue to monitor congressional activity in this space and engage when appropriate.

For questions on this article, please contact Emily Wong of APGA staff by phone at 202-470-4262.or by email at ewong@apga.org.