WASHINGTON, DC - As part of the committee’s ongoing commitment to the safety and security of our nation’s energy infrastructure, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) today hosted a briefing for bipartisan members of the committee and members of the California delegation on grid security issues, including the attack last spring on the Metcalf substation in San Jose, California.
Following the briefing, Chairman Upton stated, “Ensuring the security and reliability of the electric grid remains a top priority for all members of the committee and Congress. We have been active in our oversight of the nation’s energy grid vulnerabilities and we remain vigilant over all emerging threats to the grid, including cyber and physical attacks, solar storms, and electromagnetic pulses. Today’s briefing from federal agencies and stakeholders provided valuable insight into some of these very real and serious threats and how we can best protect against them. We are encouraged by the recent actions of FERC and others to bolster grid security and impressed by the level of public-private partnerships to address and mitigate risks and improve information sharing. While we have made progress, there is still more work to be done to secure the grid. We will continue to work with the relevant agencies, utilities, and other congressional committees on this sensitive but critical issue."
The committee has received classified briefings on grid security from top agency officials and held a full committee hearing last May on cyber security threats to critical infrastructure. The Energy and Power Subcommittee held a hearing on electricity earlier this year, which included a discussion on threats to the grid.
