[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 126 (Monday, July 19, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H3638-H3639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENERGY EMERGENCY LEADERSHIP ACT
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3119) to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act
with respect to functions assigned to Assistant Secretaries, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3119
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Energy Emergency Leadership
Act''.
SEC. 2. FUNCTIONS ASSIGNED TO ASSISTANT SECRETARIES.
(a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 203 of the
Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7133(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(12) Energy emergency and energy security functions,
including--
``(A) responsibilities with respect to infrastructure,
cybersecurity, emerging threats, supply, and emergency
planning, coordination, response, and restoration; and
``(B) upon request of a State, local, or tribal government
or energy sector entity, and in consultation with other
Federal agencies as appropriate, provision of technical
assistance, support, and response capabilities with respect
to energy security threats, risks, and incidents.''.
(b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Energy shall ensure
that the functions of the Secretary described in section
203(a)(12) of the Department of Energy Organization Act (as
added by this Act) are performed in coordination with
relevant Federal agencies.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 3119.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3119, the Energy Emergency
Leadership Act. This legislation and the two other energy bills that
will follow it are bipartisan bills that will protect our energy grid
from cyberattacks. All three of these bills passed the House last
Congress but were never taken up in the Senate. That must change this
year as the need for this legislation becomes more important by the
day.
We have heard repeatedly from security experts and regulators over
the last few years that our energy infrastructure and grid are being
attacked by state actors or other entities. Indeed, just 2 months ago,
large parts of this country suffered from gas shortages after a
ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline.
Former Energy Secretary Perry took the first step toward addressing
the increasing risk of cyberattacks on our energy infrastructure by
creating the Cybersecurity and Energy Security Emergency Response
office, or CESER, as it is pronounced. He then enhanced its stature by
making its leader an assistant secretary.
So H.R. 3119 would amend section 203(a) of the Department of Energy
Organization Act by establishing in statute the new assistant secretary
position responsible for cybersecurity and emergency response issues.
This bill also makes clear that this assistant secretary would have
jurisdiction over all energy emergency and security functions related
to energy supply, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.
It also vests the assistant secretary with the authority to provide
DOE technical assistance and support to State, local, or Tribal
governments upon request.
And it requires the assistant secretary and the Department of Energy
to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security and other
relevant Federal agencies in carrying out the bill's provisions. CESER
performed this role admirably in May when it coordinated the whole-of-
government response to the Colonial Pipeline attack.
By codifying an assistant secretary for cybersecurity and emergency
response issues, this bill would go a long way in helping to protect
the Nation's electric infrastructure from hackers and other bad actors
who would attempt to disrupt our energy grid and harm our economy, our
daily lives, and our overall national security. It would also
appropriately raise the stature of the CESER office and provide more
accountability over the vital functions with a lead person tasked with
carrying them out.
I commend Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush and
Representative Walberg for their bipartisan effort to protect our
energy infrastructure. This bipartisan cooperation is essential as we
continue to work to defend our country from the threat of cyberattacks.
I also thank Ranking Member Rodgers and Energy Subcommittee Ranking
Member Upton for working with us to move this bill and the other two
cybersecurity bills that will follow.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bipartisan
bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3119, the Energy Emergency
Leadership Act.
This bill, sponsored by Representatives Rush and Walberg, has strong
bipartisan support, and passed on suspension last Congress.
The bill is necessary to strengthen the Department of Energy's
important energy emergency mission.
It does so by requiring that the well-established energy emergency
and cybersecurity functions at DOE are organized under the leadership
of an assistant secretary confirmed by the Senate.
Three-and-one-half years ago, Secretary of Energy Perry recognized
the importance of elevating this position within the Department.
He established an assistant secretary-led office, the Office of
Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, which proved
its worth in various situations over the past 2 years, including
assistance relating to hurricanes and the recent Colonial Pipeline
ransomware attack.
This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to
establish in law this assistant secretary level of leadership of DOE's
emergency response and cybersecurity functions.
This bill will ensure the Department has the focused and accountable
leadership to protect the public more fully
[[Page H3639]]
from fuel and electricity supply disruptions against all hazards,
natural or man-made, including emerging threats from our foreign
adversaries to the Nation's electric grid.
The bill has been drafted to ensure the Department carries out its
responsibility in coordination with other agencies by improving
coordination across the Department; ensuring more effective interagency
collaborations; and increasing accountability to Congress.
Establishing accountable leadership of this DOE mission is an
important step in the face of increased threats, vulnerabilities, and
interdependencies of energy infrastructure and end-use systems.
Protecting energy security requires defense in depth.
This means a strong energy sector, strong state capabilities, and
ensuring sector agencies, like the Department of Energy, have the tools
and accountable leadership they need to respond to energy emergencies.
A vote for H.R. 3119 is a vote for ensuring accountable DOE
leadership over energy emergencies for the benefit of public safety and
welfare and for stronger cybersecurity protections and energy systems.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Walberg), one of the coleads on this legislation.
{time} 1415
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding and
allowing me the opportunity to speak.
I rise today in support of H.R. 3119, the Energy Emergency Leadership
Act. I thank my good friend from Illinois, Mr. Bobby Rush, for
continuing to work with me to get this bill across the finish line.
This is the third Congress in a row that we have introduced this
bill, each time passing the Committee on Energy and Commerce with
unanimous, bipartisan support.
And frankly, given what we have seen just over the last few months in
disruptions to our energy supply--including the Colonial Pipeline
attack--it is well past due for this important energy security measure
to be enacted in law.
Mr. Speaker, our Nation's economy and the health and safety of the
American public depend upon the reliable and uninterrupted supply of
fuels and electricity.
Hazards of all forms--including natural disasters, digital, and
cyberattacks--are no longer just threats. They are occurring at an
alarming and continuing rate.
Whether it is power outages in Texas and California due to weather
events, or foreign adversaries hacking into our pipelines or grid, it
is critical that we better equip our Federal agencies to prevent and
respond to attacks in a way that fully protects the public.
Presidential administrations of both parties have recognized this by
providing the Department of Energy with the responsibilities,
expertise, and tools to ensure the reliable supply of energy.
It is time Congress does its part by requiring the energy emergency
and cybersecurity functions at DOE to be organized under the leadership
of an assistant secretary confirmed by the Senate. This will ensure the
Department has focused and accountable leadership with high-level
continuity throughout future administrations.
H.R. 3119 will encourage more effective and seamless information-
sharing with Federal and industry stakeholders on energy security
threats, risks, and incidents, as well as recovery and response.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 3119 in
order to protect our Nation's electric infrastructure from foreign
adversaries who are attempting to disrupt our energy system and cause
untold harm to our economy, our daily lives, and our national security.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself
such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank Representative Walberg and Representative
Bobby Rush for their work on this very important legislation because,
again, it is going to ensure that the Department of Energy has the
focus and the accountable leadership to more fully protect the public
from any electricity fuel supply disruptions against all hazards--
natural or manmade--including emerging threats from our foreign
adversaries to our Nation's electric grid.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I thank both sides of the aisle, Mr. Latta
and others, for their help in getting this bill moved.
Mr. Speaker, again, I would ask support for the legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3119.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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