Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7569, the Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Act.

Broadly, this bill is meant to expand the cybersecurity workforce for our energy sector. But before I explain how it will do that, I will impress upon my colleagues why this is necessary.

Our energy sector is facing more threats now than ever before. Russia's attack on Ukraine has heightened threats to our infrastructure, and our liquefied natural gas industry has been the target of numerous cyberattacks recently.

The FBI has also been issuing warnings about credible threats to our energy infrastructure. In addition to staying vigilant now, we need to prepare ourselves for a future in which threats like these continue to grow. The way we do this is by building our energy sector cybersecurity workforce. This bill does just that with a three-pronged approach.

First, it encourages further study in this field by creating a program at the Department of Energy that provides financial assistance to graduate students and post-docs who are working on cybersecurity and energy infrastructure.

Second, it provides energy cybersecurity training through traineeships at our national labs and utilities, giving students practical skills and experience to bring to the workforce.

Third, it ensures that we have access to the broadest possible range of potential cybersecurity experts by conducting outreach to historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions.

Taken together, these three provisions in this bill will expand and improve our energy cybersecurity workforce and help us protect our critical infrastructure from growing threats.

I thank my colleague, Representative Ross, for introducing this important legislation, and Representative Carey for joining her as the Republican lead on this bipartisan effort. It deserves our full support.

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, our energy industry infrastructure quite literally keeps our country running. Cyberattacks that damage our grids, shut down our pipelines, interrupt our energy transmissions can have real and dangerous consequences for families and businesses across the country.

We know our energy sector is an attractive target for our foreign adversaries, so we need to do everything within our power to keep it secure and reliable.

H.R. 7569 will help develop the most important weapon we have in our arsenal against cyberattacks: a highly skilled and engaged workforce.

I appreciate the work that Representatives Ross and Carey have done to get this bill to the House floor.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it today so we can move quickly to begin developing cybersecurity resources.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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