U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) recently joined his colleague U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) to unveil two bipartisan bills aimed at bolstering the nation’s grid security and resiliency.
“I am proud Congressman McNerney and I are leading this effort to safeguard our aging grid so we can ensure our nation’s electric infrastructure is protected from bad actors,” Rep. Latta said on Tuesday.
The Cyber Sense Act, H.R. 2928, which Rep. Latta sponsored on April 30 with McNerney cosponsoring, would require the U.S. Secretary of Energy to establish a voluntary Cyber Sense program to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system, according to the congressional record.
If enacted, H.R. 2928 also would establish a reporting process of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and create a database at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to track products and help provide electric utilities with more information on cyber weaknesses, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Latta’s office.
Also on April 30, Rep. Latta cosponsored the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act, H.R. 2931, with Rep. McNerney as bill sponsor, which would direct the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to facilitate public-private partnerships aimed at improving cybersecurity of electric utilities, according to the summary.
H.R. 2931 also would improve sharing of best practices and data collection and provide training and technical assistance to electric utilities on how to address and mitigate cybersecurity risks, the summary says.
“Recent cyberattacks on U.S. institutions and businesses like SolarWinds prove that Congress needs to act to ensure our grid remains strong and resilient,” said Rep. Latta. “The Cyber Sense Act and the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act will collaboratively build a relationship between the DOE and utilities to strengthen our security efforts and keep us safe from domestic and foreign attacks.”
Reps. Latta and McNerney, who are co-chairs of the Grid Innovation Caucus, during the 116th Congress introduced identical legislation, both of which unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives.