Bill would move responsibility for preventing cyber attacks on pipelines to Energy Department

Fuel Fix:

Texas Sen. John Cornyn introduced legislation Thursday that would extend authority over the cybersecurity of oil and natural gas pipelines, as well as liquefied natural gas facilities, to the Secretary of Energy.

Under the bill, the Department of Energy would coordinate recovery efforts from physical and cyber attacks against the U.S. energy sector, as well aiding companies in improving their in-house security.

"Foreign adversaries are trying to infiltrate our critical energy infrastructure, and it's imperative that we're prepared for potential attacks on our energy systems," Cornyn, a Republican and one of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's top lieutenants, said in a statement. "This legislation will enhance the Department of Energy's ability to ensure our country's oil and natural gas pipelines are secure in more ways than one."

Authority over pipeline security now largely resides with the Transportation Security Administration, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. But TSA's capability has come under fire.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioners Neil Chatterjee and Richard Glick last summer wrote an op-ed claiming that TSA only had six full-time employees monitoring U.S. pipelines, despite have responsibility for more than 2.7 million miles of infrastructure.

"Given the high stakes, Congress should vest responsibility for pipeline security with an agency that fully comprehends the energy sector and has sufficient resources to address this growing threat," they wrote. "The Department of Energy could be an appropriate choice: It is the Sector-Specific Agency for energy security and recently created its own cybersecurity office."
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Pipeline security has been a concern of Energy Secretary Rick Perry.  He has expressed concerns about an interruption of natural gas to electric generators in his argument for keeping coal and nuclear plants because they can keep feedstock on hand.

The energy sector has thrived under the Trump administration and is one of the primary reasons why the economy is strong.  This legislation reflects some forward thinking on keeping it operational while under attack.