Office of Energy Infrastructure Security (OEIS)

OEIS Org Chart

What We Do

The Office of Energy Infrastructure Security (OEIS) provides leadership, expertise and assistance to the Commission to identify, communicate and seek comprehensive solutions to potential risks to FERC-jurisdictional facilities from cyber attacks and such physical threats as electromagnetic pulses.

OEIS will both formulate and make recommendations for Commission action and undertake collaborative engagement with other federal and state agencies and the energy industry to work to identify and communicate risks and vulnerabilities to this nation’s energy infrastructure and assist with the development of collaborative mitigation actions to minimize such risks.

OEIS focus is on:

• Developing recommendations for identifying, communicating and mitigating potential cyber and physical security threats and vulnerabilities to FERC-jurisdictional energy facilities using the Commission’s existing statutory authority;
• Providing assistance, expertise and advice to other federal and state agencies, jurisdictional utilities and Congress in identifying, communicating and mitigating potential cyber and physical threats and vulnerabilities to FERC-jurisdictional energy facilities;
• Participating in interagency and intelligence-related coordination and collaboration efforts with appropriate federal and state agencies and industry representatives on cyber and physical security matters related to FERC-jurisdictional energy facilities including, but not limited to, participating in conferences, workshops and classified briefings; and
• Conducting outreach with private sector owners, users and operators of energy delivery systems regarding identification, communication and mitigation of cyber and physical threats to FERC-jurisdictional energy facilities.

To continue the Commission’s oversight of reliability of the nation’s bulk power system, FERC will continue to work closely with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the national electric reliability organization certified by FERC, through this organization. OEIS will also work with other agencies, national laboratories, vendors and universities to identify effective mitigations to new threats. OEIS will participate in state forums, such as National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), to convey threat information and mitigation strategies.