Ways to improve cyberSecurity Issues for the Energy Sector. Witnesses stressed the importance of protecting the Us Energy Grid and what the government can do now to help prepare for potential attacks, held by the Senate Energy committee, this is almost two hours. Good morning, the committee will come to order. We are here this morning to examine federal and industry efforts to improve the cybersecurity of the Energy Sector including efforts to improve collaboration on Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure protection initiatives. It has been more than a year since we last held a hearing on cybersecurity for the Energy Sector but it is fair to say this is always a timely topic. A critical priority we cant lose sight of even as we grapple with covid19, which becomes the source of our next national crisis. There have been a few noteworthy developments since our last year. Earlier this year the president issued an executive order focused on securing our system from the cyber and physic
The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers rooms, washington, d. C. October 31, 2019. I hereby appoint the honorable paul tonko to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. Haplain conroy let us pray. Dear god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. We ask your special blessing upon the members of this peoples house. They face difficult decisions in difficult times with many forces and interests demanding their attention. Give them again rossity to enter into their work generosity to enter into their work. May they serve you in the work they do as you deserve. Give of themselves and not count the cost, fight for what is best for our nation and not count the political wounds. Toil until their work is done d not seek to rest and labor without
A conversation and then towards the end of the hour we will open it up for questions and answers from the audience, so chairman eu grew up and kentucky, you served as a key adviser to senator mitch mcconnell, gave us a sense of how that background informs or doesnt inform you or approach more generally. Thank you for having me and the opportunity, its a pleasure to be here today, yes i did spend a good chunk of my youth and kentucky and also the opportunity to serve the Senior Center and party leader from kentuckian in the United States senate and sent mcconnell in terms of how that and firms my work at the commission, i cant quantify how much i learned from senator mcconnell just about in his work ethic and his discipline and his leadership style, his approach to governance, his approach to bipartisanship. And my working for him, most of the if not all of the legislative initiatives that i worked on, they didnt pass the senate with 16 post, they passed with 85 plus votes, oftentimes a
Now come to order. We will see the amendment and witnesses and this morning the chairman is not here, i give the floor to my good friend Mister Mcnulty from california. Thank you for yielding me and i thank the witnesses for coming this morning. Its an incredibly important issue we need to care a lot about and good policy on. We are meeting today to discuss the state of Cyber Security integrated and the continuing threats facing Americas Energy infrastructure. We continue to see increasing threats to the grid originating at home and abroad. Im glad to see the doe and and others taking steps to address the growing dangers posed by nefarious actors. Our energy grid serves as the backbone of our economy Touching Every aspect of our lives and unreliable grid is also crucial for National Security and a clean energy future. For lawmakers to encourage advances that we can advance the security and reliability of our nations electric grid. We must work on a bipartisan basis to actively engage w
Informed or doesnt inform your approach at ferc. Absolute. Thank you foryo having me and is a pleasure to you today. Yes, i did spend a good chunk of my youth in lexington, kentucky, and obviously had the opportunity to serve the senior senator and party leader from kentucky in the United States senate, senator mcconnell. In terms of how that informs my work at the commission, i cant quantify how much i learned from senator mcconnell just about his work ethic and his discipline and his leadership style, his approach to governance is approach to bipartisanship i think, you knew, in my working for him, most of, if not all of the legislative initiatives that ieg worked on, it didnt pass the senate with 60 votes. They pass with 85 plus votes. Oftentimes, and were talking substantial legislation on the energy front, on the Infrastructure Sector multiple. Farm bills, multiple highways built. Hes a consequential pieces of hgislation, and i saw how senator mcconnell worked to bridge the intere