Acting Chairman Cheryl A. LaFleur Statement
February 12, 2014
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"FERC supports the physical security of the electric grid as part of its broader emphasis on strengthening the resilience of our nation’s energy infrastructure. A major interruption in service could have devastating effects on our nation’s citizens and economy, whether it is caused by severe weather, a cybersecurity incident, or a physical attack. FERC works with asset owners and grid operators to address these threats on an ongoing basis.
“With respect to physical attacks, FERC is working cooperatively with asset owners, grid operators, industry trade groups, state regulators, and other government agencies to share confidential information that they can use to enhance the security of the grid. FERC also performs sophisticated modeling to identify key facilities and guides asset owners on how best to address vulnerabilities specific to their systems.
"Resilience begins with how the system is planned, designed, constructed, and operated, and is informed by how asset owners and grid operators respond to and learn from events. Many of these factors are addressed in detail in the mandatory reliability standards developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) under the oversight of FERC.
"With respect to the issue of physical security, I have directed FERC staff to work with NERC to determine whether a mandatory reliability standard under section 215 of the Federal Power Act is needed to protect against physical attacks on our electrical infrastructure."