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Contact: Matt Johnson
202-225-7772
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“Protecting the Electric Grid from Cyber Security Threats”
Hearing before the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality: Opening Statement
Washington, DC,
Sep 11, 2008 -
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
The hearing before this Subcommittee today is very timely. Not just because today we recognize and remember the victims of 9/11 but also because this is hurricane season. As we witnessed during hurricane Hannah, our electricity infrastructure continues to be unnecessarily vulnerable, and that vulnerability is the primary source of my concern today. If the testimony presented here is correct, and the advice of Committee counsel is an accurate depiction of the vulnerabilities in the electrical grid, the question may very well be, "how loud is this time bomb ticking?" If a non-discriminating cause like a hurricane can effectively knock out parts of the grid for a serious length of time, it tells me that we have not done enough to protect ourselves from an intentional, decisive, and well coordinated attacker.
I agree with Chairman Kelliher's recommendation to allow FERC to respond assertively by providing them with the authority and the tools to ensure system reliability. The inconsistencies of the "Aurora advisory" experience should be warning enough to acknowledge that this is a matter of national security and should be treated accordingly. I hope this hearing will help provide the impetus to advance this draft legislation through our Subcommittee.
There will be some concerns with the confidential treatment of critical information as we move forward. Our hearings examining the security situation at Los Alamos are cause to recognize specific security risks and you can be assured that this committee is very well acquainted with the risks of human behavior upon critical sources of information.
Mr. Chairman, this is an issue that I think this Committee and Congress will be addressing for a long time. It will not be easy and will need serious coordination between the government and corporate utilities but it is in our best interest to use this opportunity to draft the beginnings of an improved security situation as soon as possible.
With that I yield back.
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