POLITICO's Morning Cybersecurity

March 28, 2017

By Tim Starks

AND ENERGY SUBCOMMITTEE SLATED TO TALK CYBER: A Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee subpanel convenes today to discuss S. 79, the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act, a bill Sen. Angus King floated last year that never got a vote. Per our friends at Morning Energy, the bill calls for creating a $10 million pilot program within the Energy Department's national labs to research ways to repel cyber intrusions on systems used to operate energy infrastructure. Witnesses testifying today are Mike Bardee from FERC, Large Public Power Council President John Di Stasio, Thomas Zacharia, a deputy director at Oak Ridge national lab, and Xcel Energy chief Ben Fowke. "S. 79 promotes government-industry partnership in studying evolving vulnerabilities, which may help combat cybersecurity threats," Di Stasio plans to testify, according to his draft remarks. "However, LPPC cautions against provisions that could lead to prescriptive technology solutions."

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