HOUSE EASILY APPROVES LEGISLATION THAT AIMS TO BOOST GRID SECURITY

Under the "Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act" (HR 5026), FERC would be empowered to issue emergency orders, "with or without notice, hearing, or report," if the president notified the commission of an "imminent grid security threat." The bill's provis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCybersecurity Policy Report p. N_A
Main Author Leithauser, Tom
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Aspen Publishers, Inc 14.06.2010
Subjects
Bills
Cybersecurity
Data encryption
Electric utilities
Legislation
National security
Network security
Power
Provisions
Smart grid technology
United States > US
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Summary:Under the "Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act" (HR 5026), FERC would be empowered to issue emergency orders, "with or without notice, hearing, or report," if the president notified the commission of an "imminent grid security threat." The bill's provisions include one that specifically addresses the "Aurora vulnerability." Aurora was a simulation conducted in 2006 by the federal government that demonstrated the ability of cyber attackers to remotely destroy an electric generator. FERC would have to address the Aurora vulnerability within 180 days after the bill's enactment. The bill also would impose the standards on a wider swath of electric utility infrastructure. The existing standards apply only to the "bulk power system," which excludes "facilities used in the local distribution of electric energy" and all facilities in Alaska and Hawaii. But many of the power facilities that aren't subject to the standards supply electricity to military and other critical installations, lawmakers noted. "Every one of our nation's critical systems - defense, water, health care, telecommunications, transportation, law enforcement, and financial services - depends on the grid," he said. "This bipartisan legislation is critical to protecting the United States against this emerging threat."