Energy Emergency Leadership Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3277, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act. This is a bipartisan bill that passed the House in the 117th Congress and is necessary to protect our energy grid from cyberattacks. Our energy infrastructure and grid have seen a number of attacks over the past few years from state actors and other malicious actors. We must defend our grid from cyberattacks.

H.R. 3277 establishes a new Assistant Secretary position at the Department of Energy responsible for cybersecurity and emergency response issues. H.R. 3277 would give the new Assistant Secretary jurisdiction over all energy emergency and security functions related to energy supply, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. This includes responsibilities related to coordination, response, and restoration.

Given today's national security concerns, it is crucial that all of these responsibilities rest with an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy, the agency with sector expertise.

The bill would also vest the Assistant Secretary with the authority to provide DOE technical assistance and support to State, local, or Tribal governments upon request, and it would require the Assistant Secretary and DOE to coordinate with other relevant Federal agencies in carrying out the bill's provisions.

DOE already does great work to protect our energy infrastructure. The Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response has been at the forefront of protecting our grid and coordinating responses to attacks. By codifying an Assistant Secretary for cybersecurity and emergency response issues, this legislation would go a long way in helping to protect the Nation's electric infrastructure from hackers and other bad actors that attempt to disrupt our energy grid and harm our economy, our daily lives, and our overall national security.

I commend Representatives Blunt Rochester and Walberg for their bipartisan efforts to protect our energy infrastructure. I hope we can continue to work together on cybersecurity matters moving forward to defend our country from the ongoing threat of cyberattacks.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. SCHRIER. Mr. Speaker, energy security should be handled by the Department of Energy. This is important for our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source