“The cyberattack against the Colonial Pipeline system, which provides nearly half of the fuel supply for the East Coast, is a stark reminder that we must do more to ensure the safety of our nation’s energy infrastructure.
“For over a decade, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in coordination with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, has established and enforced mandatory cybersecurity standards for the bulk electric system. However, there are no comparable mandatory standards for the nearly 3 million miles of natural gas, oil, and hazardous liquid pipelines that traverse the United States.
“It is time to establish mandatory pipeline cybersecurity standards similar to those applicable to the electricity sector. Simply encouraging pipelines to voluntarily adopt best practices is an inadequate response to the ever-increasing number and sophistication of malevolent cyber actors. Mandatory pipeline security standards are necessary to protect the infrastructure on which we all depend.
“Therefore, I am pleased that Commissioner Clements is joining me today in my longstanding calls for mandatory cybersecurity standards for our nation’s pipeline infrastructure.”
R-21-38