[Senate Report 112-34]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 101
112th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     112-34

======================================================================



 
                        GRID CYBER SECURITY ACT

                                _______
                                

                 July 11, 2011.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1342]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon, an original 
bill (S. 1342) to amend the Federal Power Act to protect the 
bulk-power system and electric infrastructure critical to the 
defense of the United States against cybersecurity and other 
threats and vulnerabilities, and recommends that the bill do 
pass.

                                Purpose

    The purpose of the bill is to amend the Federal Power Act 
to protect the bulk-power system and critical electric 
infrastructure against cyber security threats and 
vulnerabilities.

                          Background and Need

    The electric infrastructure of the United States includes 
transmission lines, generation facilities, local distribution 
systems, and communications systems. As of 2010, there were 
373,464 miles of transmission lines (rated 100 kV and above) in 
the United States, with an additional 33,000 miles of planned 
and conceptual additions forecast to be placed in service by 
2018. The total net summer generating capacity as of October 
2010, was 1,101,899 megawatts. This infrastructure serves over 
143 million customers in the United States, across several 
sectors, including residential, commercial, and industrial. The 
components of the electric grid are highly interdependent, such 
that a line outage or system condition problems in one region 
can lead to reliability concerns in other regions.
    On August 8, 2005, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) 
was enacted into law. Title XII of the EPAct added a new 
section 215 to the Federal Power Act. Under section 215, the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is 
charged with overseeing mandatory, enforceable reliability 
standards for the bulk power system.
    Section 215 required FERC to select an Electric Reliability 
Organization (ERO) that is responsible for proposing 
reliability standards designed to protect and enhance the 
reliability of the bulk power system. These standards apply to 
over 1,900 users, owners, and operators of that system. The ERO 
is also authorized to impose penalties for violations of the 
reliability standards, subject to FERC review and approval.
    In 2006, FERC designated the North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC) as the ERO. In its capacity as 
the ERO, NERC is responsible for developing proposed 
reliability standards. Developing reliability standards relies 
on an inclusive and public process that permits extensive 
opportunity for industry comment. This process is intended to 
develop consensus on the need for, and the substance of, 
proposed standards. The standards development process includes 
the following key steps: nomination and public posting; 
industry review of comments; redrafting as necessary; formal 
balloting; and approval by NERC's board of trustees. Proposed 
standards are submitted to FERC for review and final approval. 
FERC cannot prescribe standards under section 215, but it has 
authority to direct NERC to develop standards or to modify 
existing standards.
    Currently, the scope of the reliability standards is 
limited by section 215's definition of the bulk-power system, 
which specifically excludes ``facilities used in the local 
distribution of electric energy.'' Accordingly, these standards 
do not apply to lower-voltage distribution facilities that 
serve critical electric infrastructure, such as certain defense 
facilities. For example, the current interpretation of bulk 
power system excludes virtually all of the grid facilities in 
certain large cities such as New York. In addition, the 
provisions of section 215 do not apply to Alaska or Hawaii, 
where a number of important federal installations are located.
    Standards relating to electric infrastructure cyber 
security represent one category of reliability standards. In 
August 2006, NERC submitted eight proposed cyber security 
standards, known as the Critical Infrastructure Protection 
(CIP) standards, to FERC for approval under section 215. NERC 
and its members worked for approximately three years to develop 
these standards before they were submitted to FERC for 
approval. In January 2008, FERC approved the CIP reliability 
standards while directing NERC to develop significant 
modifications addressing specific concerns. NERC addressed some 
of the FERC directives in subsequent versions of the cyber 
security standards. These revisions were effective April 1, 
2010, and October 1, 2010, respectively. Notably, some entities 
were required to be fully compliant with all the CIP 
requirements as of July 1, 2010.
    Public reports relating to cyber security vulnerabilities 
and threats have increased in recent years. In 2010, almost 
two-thirds of firms in the United States reported that they 
were the victim of cyber security incidents or information 
breaches, while the volume of malicious software on American 
networks more than tripled from 2009. Over the past five years, 
the number of incidents reported by federal agencies to the 
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) 
increased from 5,503 incidents in fiscal year 2006 to about 
41,776 incidents in fiscal year 2010. The commercial electric 
power grid increasingly faces threats that could lead to power 
disruptions. In July 2010, malicious software was discovered 
that appears to have been created specifically to attack 
industrial control systems widely used in electric power plants 
and at other important infrastructure. Since January 2010, NERC 
has issued 14 alerts to address a variety of cyber security-
related issues and vulnerabilities.
    Electric grid vulnerabilities also present risks to U.S. 
defense assets. Much of the energy infrastructure upon which 
the Department of Defense depends is commercially owned. The 
Department of Defense relies on commercial electric power for 
nearly 99% of its power needs at military installations.
    The NERC process of developing and approving standards is 
necessary but not sufficient to protect the system against 
specific and imminent threats, particularly in emergency 
situations. The standards development process is designed to 
rely on industry expertise with respect to specific problems 
with long histories and defined data. It is structured to 
permit opportunities for industry and public comment. FERC can 
direct NERC to develop a reliability standard to address a 
particular matter, including cyber security threats or 
vulnerabilities, either via the regular process or under an 
expedited schedule. However, many cyber security events require 
quick responses and significant changes that are not 
necessarily based on operating experience. In circumstances 
involving a cyber security threat to reliability, there may be 
a need to act decisively in hours or days, rather than weeks, 
months, or years. Existing NERC processes for adoption of 
reliability standards do not offer a timely means of responding 
to imminent cyber security threats and vulnerabilities.

                          Legislative History

    The bill builds on similar legislation developed by the 
Committee during the 111th Congress. The Committee held a 
hearing on draft cyber security legislation on May 7, 2009, 
considered the measure at a business meeting on May 19, 2009, 
and ordered it reported as section 301 of S. 1462, the American 
Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009, on June 17, 2009. S. Hrg. 
111-29; S. Rept. 11-48.
    The House of Representatives passed a different measure, 
the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act, H.R. 5026, 
by voice vote, on June 9, 2010. The Committee considered H.R. 
5026 on August 5, 2010, and ordered it reported with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute, which consisted of the 
text of section 301 of S. 1462. The Senate took no further 
action on S. 1462 or H.R. 5026 during the 111th Congress.
    During the 112th Congress, the Committee held a hearing on 
a discussion draft of cyber security legislation on May 5, 
2011. The discussion draft differed from section 301 of S. 1462 
and the Committee amendment to H.R. 5026 in the previous 
Congress primarily in its reliance on NERC to develop 
reliability standards for cyber security pursuant to section 
215 of the Federal Power Act, rather than authorizing FERC to 
impose cyber security requirements outside of section 215. In 
addition, following the May 5 hearing, the Chairman and Ranking 
Member revised the discussion draft to clarify and restrict the 
application of cyber security requirements to certain critical 
distribution facilities and to provide for temporary emergency 
orders for cyber security vulnerabilities. The revised text 
further requires the Secretary of Energy to publish a report 
that assesses the susceptibility of critical electric 
infrastructure to electromagnetic pulse events and geomagnetic 
disturbances and directs FERC to assess the hardening of 
electric power transmission assets. The Committee ordered the 
revised discussion draft favorably reported at its May 26, 
2011, business meeting.

                        Committee Recommendation

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on May 26, 2011, by voice vote of a quorum 
present, recommends that the Senate pass an original bill, as 
described herein.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    Section 1 sets forth the short title.
    Section 2 amends Part II of the Federal Power Act (16 
U.S.C. 824 et seq.) by adding a new section 224 to give the 
Secretary of Energy and the Commission additional authority to 
protect critical electrical infrastructure against cyber 
security threats and vulnerabilities. The Committee intends 
that the Secretary or the Commission, as appropriate, will 
conduct outreach to the owners and operators of critical 
electric infrastructure in the implementation of their 
authorities.
    Section 224(a) defines key terms in the new section.
    Paragraph (1) defines the term ``critical electric 
infrastructure'' to mean systems and assets (whether physical 
or virtual) used for the generation, transmission, or 
distribution of electric energy affecting interstate commerce 
(whether or not transmitted in interstate commerce) that are so 
vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction 
of the systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on 
national security, national economic security, or national 
public health or safety. It is modeled on the definition of the 
term ``critical infrastructure'' in the Critical 
Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001, section 1016 of the USA 
PATRIOT Act (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
    Paragraph (2) defines the term ``critical electric 
infrastructure information'' to mean critical information 
relating to critical electric infrastructure.
    Paragraph (3) defines the term ``critical infrastructure 
information'' by reference to the definition of the term in 
section 212 of the Critical Infrastructure Information Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 131).
    Paragraph (4) defines the term ``cyber security threat'' to 
mean the imminent danger of an act that disrupts, attempts to 
disrupt, or poses a significant risk of disrupting the 
operation of programmable electronic devices or communications 
networks essential to the reliable operation of critical 
electric infrastructure.
    Paragraph (5) defines the term ``cyber security 
vulnerability'' to mean a weakness or flaw in the design or 
operation of any programmable electronic device or 
communication network that exposes critical electric 
infrastructure to a cyber security threat.
    Paragraph (6) defines the term ``Electric Reliability 
Organization'' as having the meaning given the term in section 
215(a).
    Paragraph (7) defines the term ``Secretary'' to mean the 
Secretary of Energy.
    Section 224(b)(1) directs the Commission, within 120 days 
after the date of enactment, to determine whether existing 
reliability standards are adequate to protect critical electric 
infrastructure from cyber security vulnerabilities. Paragraph 
(2) directs the Commission to order the ERO to submit a 
proposed reliability standard (or modification to a reliability 
standard) that adequately protects critical electric 
infrastructure from cyber security vulnerabilities 
if FERC finds the existing standards inadequate. Paragraph (3) 
grants the Commission authority to undertake the same 
determination and order steps following the issuance of an 
order under Paragraph (2) at any time after the initial 
determination. Given that general rulemaking requirements 
require that notices give ``a description of the subjects or 
issues involved,'' the Committee expects that that orders from 
the Commission to the ERO will describe the subjects or issues 
involved in the cyber security vulnerabilities that are the 
subject of the order, so that the ERO can take appropriate 
action. Paragraph (4) provides that any reliability standard 
(or modification to a reliability standard) submitted pursuant 
to paragraph (2) or (3) will be developed in accordance with 
section 215 of the Federal Power. Paragraph (5) provides that 
the Commission may grant the ERO additional time to submit a 
proposed reliability standard or a modification to a 
reliability standard.
    Section 224(c) authorizes the Secretary of Energy to 
require, if immediate action is necessary to protect against a 
cyber security threat, entities subject to the jurisdiction of 
the Commission to take actions to protect against the threat. 
Paragraph (2) encourages the Secretary to consult and 
coordinate with appropriate officials in Canada and Mexico. 
Paragraph (3) requires the Secretary, to the extent 
practicable, to consult with officials at other Federal 
agencies, and with entities subject to the jurisdiction of the 
Commission under this section prior to exercising the authority 
under this subsection. Paragraph (4) requires the Commission to 
establish a mechanism that permits recovery of prudently 
incurred costs required to comply with orders of the Secretary 
under this subsection.
    Section 224(d) provides that any order issued by the 
Secretary under subsection (c) shall remain in effect for not 
more than 90 days unless the Secretary gives interested persons 
an opportunity to submit written data, views or arguments and 
affirms, amends or repeals the [rule or] order.
    Section 224(e) provides that any entity that owns, 
controls, or operates critical electric infrastructure shall be 
subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission for purposes of 
carrying out section 224, or applying enforcement authorities 
of the Federal Power Act with respect to section 224, but 
subsection (e) does not subject an electric utility or other 
entity to the jurisdiction of the Commission for any other 
purpose. Except as provided in subsection (f), the States of 
Alaska and Hawaii are exempted from provisions of section 224.
    Section 224(f) provides for a plan to protect the electric 
power supply of the national defense facilities in the States 
of Alaska and Hawaii, and in the Territory of Guam.
    Section 224(g)(1) provides that section 214 of the Critical 
Infrastructure Information Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 133) shall 
apply to information submitted to the Commission or the 
Secretary under this section, or developed by a Federal power 
marketing administration or the Tennessee Valley Authority 
under this section or section 215, to the same extent as that 
section applies to information voluntarily submitted to the 
Department of Homeland Security under that Act (6 U.S.C. 131 et 
seq.). Paragraph (2) directs the Secretary and the Commission 
to issue regulations prohibiting disclosure of information that 
would be detrimental to the security of critical electric 
infrastructure. Paragraph (3) directs the Secretary and the 
Commission to establish procedures on the release of critical 
infrastructure information to entities subject to this section, 
to the extent necessary to enable the entities to implement 
rules or orders of the Commission or Secretary. The procedures 
shall limit dissemination of information, ensure security and 
confidentiality of information, protect constitutional and 
statutory rights, and provide data integrity through timely 
removal and destruction of obsolete or erroneous names and 
information.
    Section 224(h)(1) provides that no person will have access 
to classified information relating to cyber security threats 
and vulnerabilities without appropriate security clearances. 
Paragraph (2) provides that Federal agencies and departments 
will cooperate with the Commission and Secretary in 
expeditiously providing security clearances to individuals that 
have a need-to-know classified information to carry out this 
section.
    Section 3 amends section 215(a)(1) of the Federal Power Act 
to revise the definition of bulk power system for purposes of 
section 224. This revision expands the definition to include a 
limited number of facilities used in the local distribution of 
electric energy.
    Section 4 amends section 215(i) of the Federal Power Act to 
limit the application of reliability standards and temporary 
emergency order to certain facilities used in the local 
distribution of electric energy. Such facilities are only to 
those that are so vital to the United States that their 
incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on 
national security, national economic security, or national 
public health or safety.
    Section 5 amends section 215(d) of the Federal Power Act to 
permit the Commission to require the ERO to develop and issue a 
temporary emergency order to address the cyber security 
vulnerability if the Commission determines that immediate 
action is necessary to protect critical electric infrastructure 
from a cyber security vulnerability.
    Section 6 directs the Secretary of Energy, in consultation 
with appropriate experts at the National Laboratories, to 
conduct a study and publish a report that assesses the 
susceptibility of critical electric infrastructure to 
electromagnetic pulse events and geomagnetic disturbances. 
Within one year of the report's publication, the Commission is 
directed to assess whether and to what extent transmission 
infrastructure should be hardened against electromagnetic 
events and geomagnetic disturbances, including an estimate of 
the costs and benefits of options to harden the infrastructure. 
The Commission will do so in coordination with the Secretary of 
Energy and in consultation with electric utilities and the 
Electric Reliability Organization.
    Section 7 specifies that for purposes of complying with the 
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, the budgetary effects of 
this Act shall be determined by reference to the latest 
statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO legislation.''

                   Cost and Budgetary Considerations

    The following estimate of costs of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

Grid Cyber Security Act

    Summary: This legislation would amend existing law 
regarding the regulation of facilities that transmit electric 
power. Under existing law, most of the standards governing the 
reliability of the electric power system are issued by the 
Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), subject to approval 
and enforcement by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC). This bill would establish special procedures and 
deadlines for modifying the ERO's reliability standards if FERC 
determines that new guidelines are needed to protect the 
security of computer networks used to facilitate electric power 
transmission (known as cybersecurity). Other provisions would 
direct the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of 
Defense (DoD) to conduct studies on issues related to the 
security of the nation's electric power grid and would 
establish procedures for responding to emergencies and 
protecting information related to cybersecurity.
    CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a 
discretionary cost of $16 million over the 2012-2016 period, 
assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. This 
legislation would affect direct spending by the federal power 
agencies that would be subject to any new cybersecurity 
standards; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The 
legislation also could affect revenues and direct spending to 
the extent that it results in additional costs to the ERO. CBO 
estimates, however, that any effects of the legislation on net 
direct spending and revenues would be negligible.
    The bill would impose intergovernmental and private-sector 
mandates, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 
(UMRA), on entities that transmit electric power. Because the 
costs to comply with those mandates would depend on future 
regulations, CBO cannot determine whether the aggregate cost of 
the mandate would exceed the annual threshold for private-
sector mandates ($142 million in 2011, adjusted annually for 
inflation). Because public entities own and operate only a 
small fraction of the nation's electric power infrastructure, 
CBO expects that the aggregate cost of the mandate would fall 
below the annual threshold established in UMRA for 
intergovernmental mandates ($71 million in 2011, adjusted 
annually for inflation).
    CBO has not reviewed provisions of the act that would 
provide FERC and the Secretary of Energy with expedited or 
emergency authority to protect the electric transmission grid 
from threats to those computer networks for intergovernmental 
or private-sector mandates. Section 4 of the Unfunded Mandates 
Reform Act excludes from the application of that act any 
legislative provisions that are necessary for national 
security. CBO has determined that those provisions fall within 
that exclusion.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of this legislation is shown in the following 
table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget 
function 270 (energy).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                         -------------------------------------------------------
                                                            2012     2013     2014     2015     2016   2012-2016
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Estimated Authorization Level...........................       16        0        0        0        0        16
Estimated Outlays.......................................        3        6        7        0        0        16
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 
legislation will be enacted by the end of fiscal year 2011 and 
the necessary amounts will be appropriated. Outlays are 
estimated to occur at historical rates for similar activities.

Spending subject to appropriation

    Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO 
estimates that implementing this bill would cost $16 million 
over the 2012-2016 period. Most of those costs would stem from 
provisions directing DOE to study the susceptibility of key 
electrical facilities to geomagnetic disturbances, such as 
solar flares, and electromagnetic pulses caused by natural or 
man-made sources. Based on information from DOE, CBO estimates 
that the cost of that assessment could range from about $10 
million to $20 million, depending on the extent of any 
equipment purchases. For this estimate, CBO assumes that costs 
would be in the midpoint of that range and that the study would 
be completed within the three-year period specified in the 
bill. DoD's study of grid security in certain states and 
territories would cost about $1 million, CBO estimates.
    Finally, CBO expects that implementing this legislation 
would expand FERC's workload and increase the agency's 
administrative expenses, which are controlled through annual 
appropriation acts. Because FERC recovers 100 percent of its 
costs through user fees, any such increases in its expenses 
would be offset by an equal change in fees that the commission 
charges, resulting in no net budgetary impact.

Direct spending and revenues

    Taken together, the four federal power agencies own and 
operate about 15 percent of the nation's electric power, 
providing much of the transmission service in certain regions 
of the country. Spending by the Tennessee Valley Authority 
(TVA) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) constitutes 
direct spending because those agencies are authorized to 
collect and spend proceeds from the sale of electricity and to 
borrow funds to finance capital projects. Based on information 
from both agencies, CBO estimates that the net effect of the 
legislation on direct spending would be negligible because the 
new standards would probably be similar to those currently 
followed by federal agencies as a result of other statutory 
directives.
    If FERC determines that new guidelines related to grid 
security are needed, the legislation also could expand the 
ERO's workload and increase its administrative costs. For 
purposes of the federal budget, the ERO is considered a 
governmental entity and its spending, which is not controlled 
by annual appropriation acts, is considered direct spending. 
The ERO derives its funding from fees charged to users of the 
bulk-power system; those fees are considered revenues. Under 
the legislation, any increased direct spending by the ERO would 
generate a corresponding change in revenues to offset the 
entity's costs. Based on information from FERC and the ERO 
about current levels of spending related to grid security and 
the likely administrative costs involved with revising 
standards, CBO estimates that any increases in direct spending 
by the ERO and related revenues would not exceed $500,000 in 
any year.
    Pay-As-You-Go considerations: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go 
Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement 
procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or 
revenues. This legislation would affect net direct spending and 
revenues, but CBO estimates that any such effects would be 
negligible for each year and in total over the 2011-2021 
period.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: The bill would 
impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates as defined 
in UMRA by authorizing FERC to order the ERO to issue or modify 
standards to protect the electric power system from cyber 
threats. Any increase in administrative costs of the ERO would 
result in additional fees charged to public and private users 
of the bulk power system, but CBO estimates that any increase 
would not exceed $500,000 annually. Additionally, public and 
private facilities that transmit electric power could be 
affected by the standards issued or modified by the ERO. 
Because the costs to comply with those standards would depend 
on future regulations, CBO cannot determine whether the 
aggregate cost of the mandate would exceed the annual threshold 
for private-sector mandates ($142 million in 2011, adjusted 
annually for inflation). Because public entities own and 
operate only a small fraction of the nation's electric power 
infrastructure, CBO expects that the costs of the mandate would 
fall below the annual threshold established in UMRA for 
intergovernmental mandates ($71 million in 2011, adjusted 
annually for inflation).
    CBO has not reviewed provisions of the act that would 
provide FERC and the Secretary of Energy with expedited or 
emergency authority to protect the electric transmission grid 
from threats to those computer networks for intergovernmental 
or private-sector mandates. Section 4 of the Unfunded Mandates 
Reform Act excludes from the application of that act any 
legislative provisions that are necessary for national 
security. CBO has determined that those provisions fall within 
that exclusion.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Kathleen Gramp and 
Megan Carroll; Impact on state, local, and tribal governments: 
Ryan Miller; Impact on the private sector: Amy Petz.
    Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                      Regulatory Impact Statement

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out the bill.
    The bill would authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission to order the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) 
to develop additional reliability standards to provide adequate 
protection of critical electric infrastructure from cyber 
security vulnerabilities. The additional standards would be 
applicable to owners, operators, and users of the bulk-power 
system. The Committee notes that the ERO already has authority 
to develop and enforce mandatory electric reliability standards 
for cyber security applicable to owners, operators, and users 
of the bulk-power system. The bill simply strengthens the 
Commission's authority to order the ERO to take further action 
if the Commission determines the ERO's standards are inadequate 
to protect the bulk-power system, and it expands the definition 
of the bulk-power system, for the limited purpose of protecting 
that system from cyber security vulnerabilities, to critical 
distribution facilities. The bill also gives the Secretary of 
Energy authority to issue emergency orders to avert or mitigate 
an imminent cyber security threat.
    (A) Number of businesses regulated. The bill would apply to 
``any entity that owns, controls, or operates critical electric 
infrastructure,'' which the bill defines, in pertinent part, to 
include ``systems and assets . . . used for the generation, 
transmission, or distribution of electric energy affecting 
interstate commerce that . . . are so vital to the United 
States that the incapacity or destruction of the systems and 
assets would have a debilitating impact on national security, 
national economic security, or national public health or 
safety.'' Most of these entities are already subject to 
mandatory reliability standards developed and enforced by the 
ERO under section 215 of the Federal Power Act. The bill would, 
for the first time, make owners and operators of critical 
electric infrastructure used for the local distribution of 
electric energy subject to ERO standards, for the limited 
purpose of protecting the bulk-power system from cyber security 
vulnerabilities, but these entities may already be subject to 
ERO reliability standards as ``users'' of the bulk-power 
system.
    (B) Economic impact. The economic impact of an ERO standard 
could be significant, but would depend on the standard. The 
Committee notes that the Congressional Budget Office, in its 
report on the Committee's amendment to H.R. 5026 (which is 
similar in scope to the proposed bill), stated that it could 
not determine whether the cost of compliance would exceed the 
annual threshold for private-sector mandates under the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act ($141 million in 2010), but expects the 
costs for public entities would fall below the annual threshold 
for intergovernmental mandates ($70 million for 
intergovernmental mandates in 2010). In any event, the 
Committee expects any economic burden occasioned by the 
requirements to be more than offset by the damage to the 
electric grid and the disruption to the national economy that 
will be avoided by any defensive measures required pursuant to 
the bill.
    (C) Personal privacy. No personal information would be 
collected in administering the program. Therefore, there would 
be no impact on personal privacy.
    (D) Paperwork requirements. Although the Commission or the 
Secretary may require the submission of some critical electric 
infrastructure information, the Committee does not expect the 
amount of information collected to impose substantial 
additional paperwork or recordkeeping burdens, in either time 
or financial cost, on private industry or individuals.

                   Congressionally Directed Spending

    The bill, as reported, does not contain any congressionally 
directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited 
tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules 
of the Senate.

                        Executive Communications

    The testimony provided by the Department of Energy and the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the May 5, 2011, Full 
Committee hearing follows:

     Statement of Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary, Office of 
   Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Department of Energy

    Chairman Bingaman, Ranking Member Murkowski and members of 
the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss the 
cyber security issues facing the electric industry, as well as 
proposed legislation intended to strengthen protection of the 
bulk power system and electric infrastructure from cyber 
security threats.
    Title XIII of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 
2007 (EISA) states, ``It is the policy of the United States to 
support the modernization of the Nation's electricity 
transmission and distribution system to maintain a reliable and 
secure electricity infrastructure.'' The protection and 
resilience of critical national infrastructures is a shared 
responsibility of the private sector, government, communities, 
and individuals. As the complexity, scale, and 
interconnectedness of today's infrastructures have increased, 
it has changed the way services and products are delivered, as 
well as the traditional roles of owners, operators, regulators, 
vendors, and customers.
    Ensuring a resilient electric grid is particularly 
important since it is arguably the most complex and critical 
infrastructure that other sectors depend upon to deliver 
essential services. Over the past two decades, the roles of 
electricity sector stakeholders have shifted: generation, 
transmission, and delivery functions have been separated into 
distinct markets; customers have become generators using 
distributed generation technologies; and vendors have assumed 
new responsibilities to provide advanced technologies and 
improve security. These changes have created new 
responsibilities for all stakeholders in ensuring the continued 
security and resilience of the electric power grid.


             cyber security activities and accomplishments


    For more than a decade, the Department of Energy's Office 
of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) has been 
substantively engaged with the private sector to secure the 
electric grid. In December 2003, the Homeland Security 
Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7) designated the Department as 
the sector-specific agency (SSA) for the energy sector 
responsible for collaborating with all federal agencies, state 
and local governments, and the private sector. As the SSA, OE, 
representing the Department, works closely with the private 
sector and state/Federal regulators to provide secure sharing 
of threat information, to collaborate with industry to identify 
and fund gaps in infrastructure research, development and 
testing efforts, to conduct vulnerability assessments of the 
sector, and to encourage risk management strategies for 
critical energy infrastructure.
    The 2010 National Security Strategy underscores the need to 
strengthen public-private partnerships in order to design more 
secure technology that will better protect and improve the 
resilience of critical government and industry systems and 
networks. OE has long recognized that neither government, nor 
the private sector, nor individual citizens can meet cyber 
security challenges alone. In 2006, OE facilitated the 
development of the Roadmap to Secure Control Systems in the 
Energy Sector to provide a detailed collaborative plan for 
improving cyber security in the energy sector and concrete 
steps to secure control systems used in the electricity and oil 
and natural gas sectors. The plan calls for a 10-year 
implementation timeline with a 5-year update scheduled for 
release in the summer of 2011. To implement the priorities in 
the Roadmap, the Energy Sector Control Systems Working Group 
was formed and comprised of cyber security and control systems 
experts from government, the electricity sector, and the oil 
and natural gas sector.
    Since 2006, the Roadmap has provided a collaborative 
strategy for prioritizing cyber security needs and focusing 
actions under way throughout government and the private sector 
to ensure future energy system security. The Roadmap goals and 
strategy have also been fully integrated into the Energy 
Sector-Specific Plan. Since the Roadmap was released, important 
progress has been made in improving cyber security in the 
energy sector. These improvements have benefited existing 
systems and are contributing to the secure design and 
integration of advanced systems that incorporate smart grid 
technologies.
    Through competitive solicitations and partnerships with 
industry, academia and national laboratories, OE has supported 
the development of several advanced cyber security technologies 
that are now commercially available within the energy sector:

     A technology to secure serial communications for 
control systems, based on the Secure Supervisory Control and 
Data Acquisition (SCADA) Communications Protocol developed by 
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This technology is 
rapidly being adopted by utilities.
     Software toolkits, available for download from the 
vendor website, that let electric utilities audit the security 
settings of SCADA systems. The latest release addresses the 
Inter-Control Center Communications Protocol (ICCP), which is 
used for utility-to-utility communications.
     Monitoring modules that aggregate security events 
from a variety of data sources on the control system network 
and then correlate the security events to help utilities better 
detect cyber attacks.
     An Ethernet security gateway, based on an 
interoperable design developed by Sandia National Laboratories, 
that secures site-to-site Ethernet communications and protects 
private networks.

    OE established the National SCADA Test Bed in 2003 to 
provide a national capability for cyber security experts to 
systematically evaluate the components of a functioning system 
for inherent vulnerabilities, develop mitigations, and test the 
effectiveness of various cyber security technologies. Major 
accomplishments include:

     Completed vulnerability assessments of 38 SCADA 
systems and provided mitigation recommendations. As a result, 
vendors have implemented many of the recommendations in 
``hardened'' next-generation SCADA systems that are now 
commercially available and being deployed in the power grid.
     Utility groups have also formed partnerships to 
fund additional cyber security assessments at the test bed to 
address specific cyber security concerns.
     Provided advanced cyber security training for over 
2300 representatives from over 200 utilities to demonstrate how 
to detect and respond to complex cyber attacks on SCADA 
systems.
     Developed the ``Common Cyber Security 
Vulnerabilities Observed in Control System Assessments'' report 
to help utilities and vendors mitigate vulnerabilities found in 
many SCADA systems. OE has also worked with the North American 
Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop the Top Ten 
Vulnerabilities of Control Systems and their Associated 
Mitigations report in 2006 and 2007.

    OE is also working closely with academic and industry 
partners through the Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the 
Power Grid (TCIPG), which is a University led public-private 
research partnership supported by OE, Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS), and Industry for frontier research that 
supports resilient and secure smart grid systems. TCIPG 
leverages and expands upon previous research funded primarily 
by the National Science Foundation. TCIPG research focuses on 
building trusted energy delivery control systems from un-
trusted components, and transitioning next-generation cyber 
security technologies to the energy sector. As an example, 
TCIPG released the Network Access Policy Tool that is now being 
used by industry and asset owners to characterize the global 
effects of local firewall rules in control system 
architectures. The tool will help utilities better manage and 
maintain security on their highly-complex communications 
networks.
    Just recently, OE launched several new initiatives to 
enhance cyber security in the energy sector.

     OE, in coordination with DHS and other Federal 
agencies, has conducted several cyber threat information 
sharing workshops to analyze classified information, determine 
the impact to the sector, and develop mitigations that were 
specifically designed to work in the sector. This cooperative 
process has proven to be more effective and accepted than 
dictating solutions to the sector.
     OE, in coordination with the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) and NERC, is leading a 
collaborative effort with representatives from across the 
public and private sectors to develop a cyber security risk 
management guideline. The objective of this effort is to 
provide a consistent, repeatable, and adaptable process for the 
electric sector, and enable organizations to proactively manage 
risk.

    Ensuring the cyber security of a modern, digital 
electricity infrastructure is a key objective of national smart 
grid efforts. As a result, a number of key initiatives have 
been developed to ensure future system security and enable the 
energy sector to better design, build, and integrate smart grid 
technologies. OE has engaged in partnerships to perform these 
activities with key organizations including Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (FERC), the U.S. Department of Commerce, 
NIST, DHS, the Federal Communications Commission, the 
Department of Defense (DoD), the intelligence community, the 
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, state 
public utility commissions, the National Association of 
Regulatory Utility Commissioners, NERC, the Open Smart Grid 
Subcommittee, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and 
other energy sector organizations.
    The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
accelerated the development of smart grid technologies by 
investing in pilot projects, worker training, and large scale 
deployments. This public-private investment worth over $9.6 
billion was dedicated to a nationwide plan to modernize the 
electric power grid, enhance the security of U.S. energy 
infrastructure, and promote reliable electricity delivery. The 
$4.5 billion in Recovery Act funds, managed by OE, was 
leveraged by $5.1 billion in funds from the private sector to 
support 132 Smart Grid Investment Grant and Smart Grid 
Demonstration Grant projects across the country. Each project 
awardee committed to implementing a cyber security plan that 
includes an evaluation of cyber risks and planned mitigations, 
cyber security criteria for device and vendor selection, and 
relevant standards or best practices the project will follow.
    As called for in Section 1305 of EISA, OE is collaborating 
with NIST and other agencies and organizations to develop a 
framework and roadmap for interoperability standards that 
includes cyber security as a critical element. As part of this 
effort, NIST established the public-private Smart Grid 
Interoperability Panel, and within that, the 450-member Cyber 
Security Working Group (CSWG) to lead the development of cyber 
security requirements for the smart grid. After engaging 
members in numerous workshops and teleconferences and following 
two formal reviews, the CSWG released the first version of its 
``Cyber Security Guidelines for the Smart Grid''. The three-
volume document details a strategy that includes smart grid use 
cases, a high-level smart grid risk assessment process, smart 
grid-specific security requirements, development of a security 
architecture, assessment of smart grid standards, and 
development of a conformity assessment program for 
requirements.
    To address cyber security needs for smart grid 
technologies, OE partnered with leading utilities and EPRI to 
develop cyber security profiles for major smart grid 
applications--Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Third-Party 
Data Access, and Distribution Automation. These profiles 
provide vendor-neutral, actionable guidance to utilities, 
vendors and government entities on how to build cyber security 
into smart grid components in the development stage, and how to 
implement those safeguards when the components are integrated 
into the power grid. These documents support the NIST ``Cyber 
Security Guidelines for the Smart Grid'' NISTIR--7628. OE also 
co-chairs the NIST CSWG.


   senate energy and natural resources committee proposed legislation


    The proposed bill includes provisions intended to 
strengthen the bulk power system and electric infrastructure by 
addressing cyber security vulnerabilities and protecting 
against cyber security threats by adding a new section to the 
Federal Power Act (FPA). While the Administration does not yet 
have a position on the bill, the Department offers the 
following observations.
    To begin with, the proposed bill correctly identifies, 
defines, and distinguishes between a cyber security 
vulnerability and a cyber security threat. These are two 
related, but different concepts. Vulnerabilities need to be 
identified and addressed, while threats need to be protected 
against. In that regard, references in the proposed bill to 
``protecting critical electric infrastructure from cyber 
security vulnerabilities'' should be changed to ``addressing 
critical electric infrastructure cyber security 
vulnerabilities.''
    In addition, Section 224(a)(1) defines critical electric 
infrastructure to include distribution assets that affect 
interstate commerce. This significantly expands FERC's 
jurisdiction for setting reliability standards beyond the bulk 
power system as provided in FPA section 215. Also, Section 
224(f) would require a comprehensive plan identifying emergency 
measures to protect the reliability of the electric power 
supply of national defense facilities located in Alaska, 
Hawaii, and Guam in the event of an imminent cyber security 
threat. Pertinent to that, in July 2010, DOE and DoD signed a 
memorandum of understanding (MOU) ``Concerning Cooperation in a 
Strategic Partnership to Enhance Energy Security''. The purpose 
of the MOU is to enhance national energy security and 
demonstrate Federal Government leadership in transitioning 
America to a low carbon economy. This MOU provides an 
opportunity to develop a comprehensive approach that reduces 
the impact of power loss to defense critical assets, 
considering both mitigation and response measures to ensure 
vital defense capabilities are not disrupted.
    Finally, the legislation does not yet address a unique, 
sensitive cyber security information disclosure problem faced 
by Federal Power Marketing Administrations subject to both the 
Freedom of Information Act and mandatory reliability standards 
enacted under Section 215 of the Federal Power Act. This 
sensitive information, developed under the mandatory 
reliability standards, appears not to be protected from public 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. This security 
vulnerability could be avoided if legislation providing 
statutory protection for this information were enacted that 
qualified under Exemption 3 of the Freedom of Information Act.


                               conclusion


    In conclusion, I would like to again thank this Committee 
for its leadership in supporting the protection of the bulk 
power system and critical electric infrastructure against cyber 
security threats. Recognizing the interdependencies between 
different sectors, it is important to have a comprehensive 
strategy for cyber security legislation. DOE would be happy to 
work with the Committee on this legislation.
    I would be pleased to address any questions the Committee 
might have.

     Testimony of Joseph McClelland, Director, Office of Electric 
           Reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

    Thank you for this opportunity to appear before you to 
discuss the security of the electric grid. My name is Joseph 
McClelland. I am the Director of the Office of Electric 
Reliability (OER) of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC or Commission). The Commission's role with respect to 
reliability is to help protect and improve the reliability of 
the Nation's bulk power system through effective regulatory 
oversight as established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. I am 
here today as a Commission staff witness and my remarks do not 
necessarily represent the views of the Commission or any 
individual Commissioner.
    My testimony summarizes the Commission's oversight of the 
reliability of the electric grid under section 215 of the 
Federal Power Act (FPA) and the Commission's implementation of 
that authority with respect to cyber security primarily through 
Order No. 706. I also will describe some of the current 
limitations in Federal authority to protect the grid against 
physical and cyber security threats, and also comment on the 
cyber security discussion draft. The Commission currently does 
not have sufficient authority to require effective protection 
of the grid against cyber or physical attacks. If adequate 
protection is to be provided, legislation is needed and my 
testimony discusses the key elements that should be included in 
legislation in this area.


                               background


    In the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), Congress 
entrusted the Commission with a major new responsibility to 
oversee mandatory, enforceable reliability standards for the 
Nation's bulk power system (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). This 
authority is in section 215 of the Federal Power Act. Section 
215 requires the Commission to select an Electric Reliability 
Organization (ERO) that is responsible for proposing, for 
Commission review and approval, reliability standards or 
modifications to existing reliability standards to help protect 
and improve the reliability of the Nation's bulk power system. 
The Commission has certified the North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC) as the ERO. The reliability 
standards apply to the users, owners and operators of the bulk 
power system and become mandatory in the United States only 
after Commission approval. The ERO also is authorized to 
impose, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, penalties 
for violations of the reliability standards, subject to 
Commission review and approval. The ERO may delegate certain 
responsibilities to ``Regional Entities,'' subject to 
Commission approval.
    The Commission may approve proposed reliability standards 
or modifications to previously approved standards if it finds 
them ``just, reasonable, not unduly discriminatory or 
preferential, and in the public interest.'' The Commission 
itself does not have authority to modify proposed standards. 
Rather, if the Commission disapproves a proposed standard or 
modification, section 215 requires the Commission to remand it 
to the ERO for further consideration. The Commission, upon its 
own motion or upon complaint, may direct the ERO to submit a 
proposed standard or modification on a specific matter but it 
does not have the authority to modify or author a standard and 
must depend upon the ERO to do so.
Limitations of section 215 and the term ``bulk power system''
    Currently, the Commission's jurisdiction and reliability 
authority is limited to the ``bulk power system,'' as defined 
in the FPA, and therefore excludes Alaska and Hawaii, including 
any federal installations located therein. The current 
interpretation of ``bulk power system'' also excludes some 
transmission and all local distribution facilities, including 
virtually all of the grid facilities in certain large cities 
such as New York, thus precluding Commission action to mitigate 
cyber or other national security threats to reliability that 
involve such facilities and major population areas. The 
Commission recently issued Order No. 743, which directs NERC to 
revise its interpretation of the bulk power system to eliminate 
inconsistencies across regions, eliminate the ambiguity created 
by the current discretion in NERC's definition of bulk electric 
system, provide a backstop review to ensure that any variations 
do not compromise reliability, and ensure that facilities that 
could significantly affect reliability are subject to mandatory 
rules. NERC is currently developing its response to that order. 
However, it is important to note that section 215 of the FPA 
excludes local distribution facilities from the Commission's 
reliability jurisdiction, so any revised bulk electric system 
definition developed by NERC will still not apply to local 
distribution facilities.
Critical infrastructure protection reliability standards
    An important part of the Commission's current 
responsibility to oversee the development of reliability 
standards for the bulk power system involves cyber security. In 
August 2006, NERC submitted eight proposed cyber security 
standards, known as the Critical Infrastructure Protection 
(CIP) standards, to the Commission for approval under section 
215. Critical infrastructure, as defined by NERC for purposes 
of the CIP standards, includes facilities, systems, and 
equipment which, if destroyed, degraded, or otherwise rendered 
unavailable, would affect the reliability or operability of the 
``Bulk Electric System.'' Under NERC's implementation plan for 
the CIP standards, full compliance became mandatory on July 1, 
2010.
    On January 18, 2008, the Commission issued Order No. 706, 
the Final Rule approving the CIP reliability standards while 
concurrently directing NERC to develop significant 
modifications addressing specific concerns. The Commission set 
a deadline of July 1, 2009 for NERC to resolve certain issues 
in the CIP reliability standards, including deletion of the 
``reasonable business judgment'' and ``acceptance of risk'' 
language in each of the standards. NERC concluded that this 
deadline would create a very compressed schedule for its 
stakeholder process. Therefore, it divided all of the changes 
directed by the Commission into phases, based on their 
complexity. NERC opted to resolve the simplest changes in the 
first phase, while putting off more complex changes for later 
versions.
    NERC filed the first phase of the modifications to the CIP 
Reliability Standards (Version 2) on May 22, 2009. In this 
phase, NERC removed from the standards the terms ``reasonable 
business judgment'' and ``acceptance of risk,'' added a 
requirement for a ``single senior manager'' responsible for CIP 
compliance, and made certain other administrative and 
clarifying changes. In a September 30, 2009 order, the 
Commission approved the Version 2 CIP standards and directed 
NERC to develop additional modifications to certain of them. 
Pursuant to the Commission's September 30, 2009 order, NERC 
submitted Version 3 of the CIP standards which revised Version 
2 as directed. The Version 3 CIP standards became effective on 
October 1, 2010. This first phase of the modifications directed 
by the Commission in Order No. 706, which encompassed both 
Version 2 and Version 3, did not modify the critical asset 
identification process, a central concern in Order No. 706.
    On February 10, 2011, NERC initiated the second phase of 
the Order No. 706 directed modification, filing a petition 
seeking approval of Version 4 of the CIP standards. Version 4 
includes new proposed criteria to identify ``critical assets'' 
for purposes of the CIP reliability standards. This filing is 
currently under review by the Commission. In order to better 
understand the NERC Version 4 petition, particularly the number 
of critical cyber assets that will be identified under this 
revision, the Commission issued data requests to NERC, with 
responses due on July 11, 2011, which reflects an extension of 
time requested by NERC.
    The remaining CIP standards revisions to respond to the 
Commission's directives issued in Order No. 706 are still under 
development by NERC. It is important to note that the majority 
of the Order No. 706 directed modifications to the CIP 
standards have yet to be addressed by NERC. Until they are 
addressed, there are significant gaps in protection such as a 
needed requirement for a defense in depth posture. NERC's 
standards development plan filed with the Commission in April 
2011 classifies these outstanding revisions to the CIP 
standards as ``High Priority'' with a targeted completion in 
the second quarter of 2012.
Identification of critical assets
    As currently written, the CIP reliability standards allow 
utilities significant discretion to determine which of their 
facilities are ``critical assets and the associated critical 
cyber assets,'' and therefore are subject to the requirements 
of the standards. In Order No. 706, the Commission directed 
NERC to revise the standards to require independent oversight 
of a utility's decisions by industry entities with a ``wide-
area view,'' such as reliability coordinators or the Regional 
Entities, subject to the review of the Commission. This 
revision to the standards, like all revisions, is subject to 
approval by the affected stakeholders in the standards 
development process. NERC has attempted to address this 
directive in Version 4 of the CIP standards, which is now under 
review by the Commission.
    When, in Order No. 706, the Commission approved Version 1 
of the CIP reliability standards, it also required entities 
under those standards to self-certify their compliance progress 
every six months. In December 2008, NERC conducted a self-
certification study, asking each entity to report limited 
information on its critical assets and the associated critical 
cyber assets identified in compliance with reliability standard 
CIP-002-1. As the Commission stated in Order No. 706, the 
identification of critical assets is the cornerstone of the CIP 
standards. If that identification is not done well, the CIP 
standards will be ineffective at protecting the bulk power 
system. The results of NERC's self-certification request showed 
that only 29% of responding generation owners and operators 
identified at least one critical asset, while about 63% of the 
responding transmission owners identified at least one critical 
asset. NERC expressed its concern with these results in a 
letter to industry stakeholders dated April 7, 2009.
    NERC conducted another self-certification survey of 
responsible entities to determine progress towards 
identification of critical cyber assets. It gathered 
information about critical assets and critical cyber assets as 
of December 31, 2009. This survey included additional questions 
designed to obtain a better understanding of the results from 
industry's critical asset identification process. In general, 
this survey did not demonstrate a significant increase in 
identified critical assets. NERC noted some encouraging results 
as well as some that were a cause for concern. In addition, the 
Regional Entities have been performing audits which have 
included registered entities' determination of their critical 
cyber asset lists. FERC staff has been observing selected 
audits to examine the Regional Entities' methods of conducting 
these audits. It is important to note that although ``critical 
assets'' are used to identify subsequent ``critical cyber 
assets,'' only the subset of ``critical cyber assets'' are 
subject to the CIP standards.
    NERC's Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee 
released a guidance document to assist registered entities in 
identifying their critical assets. That document, which took 
effect on September 17, 2009, provides ``guidelines'' that 
define which assets should be evaluated, provides risk-based 
evaluation guidance for determining critical assets, and 
describes reasonable bases that could be used to support that 
determination. A second NERC security guideline regarding 
critical cyber assets became effective on June 17, 2010. This 
security guideline ``provides guidance for identifying Critical 
Cyber Assets by evaluating potential impacts to `reliable 
operation' of a Critical Asset.'' Neither of these guidance 
documents contained any actions that were mandatory for users, 
owners or operators of the bulk-power system.
    Version 4 of the CIP standards, which are currently pending 
before the Commission, would change the way in which critical 
assets are identified. Instead of using a loosely defined risk-
based assessment methodology, CIP-002 Version 4 Attachment 1 
contains what NERC describes as ``uniform criteria for the 
identification of Critical Assets.'' For example, criterion 1.1 
would identify generation plants equal to or greater than 1500 
MW as critical assets. The filing asserts that this would 
account for 29% of the installed generator capacity in the 
United States. Because this is an on-going proceeding before 
the Commission, I am limited in what I can discuss about the 
merits of NERC's petition.


                            the nerc process


    As an initial matter, it is important to recognize how 
mandatory reliability standards are established. Under section 
215, reliability standards must be developed by the ERO through 
an open, inclusive, and public process. The Commission can 
direct NERC to develop a reliability standard to address a 
particular reliability matter, including cyber security threats 
or vulnerabilities. However, the NERC process typically 
requires years to develop standards for the Commission's 
review. In fact, the CIP standards approved by the Commission 
in January 2008 took approximately three years to develop.
    NERC's procedures for developing standards allow extensive 
opportunity for stakeholder comment, are open, and are 
generally based on the procedures of the American National 
Standards Institute. The NERC process is intended to develop 
consensus on both the need for, and the substance of, the 
proposed standard. Although inclusive, the process is 
relatively slow, open and unpredictable in its responsiveness 
to the Commission's directives. This process requires public 
disclosure regarding the reason for the proposed standard, the 
manner in which the standard will address the issues, and any 
subsequent comments and resulting modifications in the 
standards as the affected stakeholders review the material and 
provide comments. NERC-approved standards are then submitted to 
the Commission for its review.
    The procedures used by NERC are appropriate for developing 
and approving routine reliability standards. The process allows 
extensive opportunities for industry and public comment. The 
public nature of the reliability standards development process 
can be a strength of the process. However, it can be an 
impediment when measures or actions need to be taken to address 
threats to national security quickly, effectively and in a 
manner that protects against the disclosure of security-
sensitive information. The current procedures used under 
section 215 for the development and approval of reliability 
standards do not provide an effective and timely means of 
addressing urgent cyber or other national security risks to the 
bulk power system, particularly in emergency situations. 
Certain circumstances, such as those involving national 
security, may require immediate action, while the reliability 
standard procedures take too long to implement efficient and 
timely corrective steps. On September 3, 2010, FERC approved a 
new reliability standards process manual filed by NERC. While 
this manual includes a process for developing a standard 
related to a confidential issue, the new process is untested 
and it is unclear how the process would be implemented.
    FERC rules governing review and establishment of 
reliability standards allow the agency to direct the ERO to 
develop and propose reliability standards under an expedited 
schedule. For example, FERC could order the ERO to submit a 
reliability standard to address a reliability vulnerability 
within 60 days. Also, NERC's rules of procedure include a 
provision for approval of ``urgent action'' standards that can 
be completed within 60 days and which may be further expedited 
by a written finding by the NERC board of trustees that an 
extraordinary and immediate threat exists to bulk power system 
reliability or national security. However, it is not clear NERC 
could meet this schedule in practice. Moreover, faced with a 
national security threat to reliability, there may be a need to 
act decisively in hours or days, rather than weeks, months or 
years. That would not be feasible even under the urgent action 
process. In the meantime, the bulk power system would be left 
vulnerable to a known national security threat. Moreover, 
existing procedures, including the urgent action procedure, 
could widely publicize both the vulnerability and the proposed 
solutions, thus increasing the risk of hostile actions before 
the appropriate solutions are implemented.
    In addition, a reliability standard submitted to the 
Commission by NERC may not be sufficient to address the 
identified vulnerability or threat. Since FERC may not directly 
modify a proposed reliability standard under section 215 and 
must either approve or remand it, FERC would have the choice of 
approving an inadequate standard and directing changes, which 
reinitiates a process that can take years, or rejecting the 
standard altogether. Under either approach, the bulk power 
system would remain vulnerable for a prolonged period.
    This concern was highlighted in the Department of Energy 
Inspector General's January 2011 audit report on FERC's 
``Monitoring of Power Grid Cyber Security.'' The audit report 
identified concerns regarding the adequacy of the CIP standards 
and the implementation and schedule for the CIP standards, and 
concluded that these problems exist, in part, because the 
Commission's authority to ensure adequate cyber security over 
the bulk electric system is limited. The audit report concludes 
that the Commission should take a more aggressive action when 
ordering new or revised standards and highlights its lack of 
authority to implement its own reliability standards or 
mandatory alerts in response to emerging threats or 
vulnerabilities. This report emphasizes the need for FERC to 
have additional authority for ensuring adequate cyber security 
over the bulk electric system.
    Finally, the open and inclusive process required for 
standards development is not consistent with the need to 
protect security-sensitive information. For instance, a formal 
request for a new standard would normally detail the need for 
the standard as well as the proposed mitigation to address the 
issue, and the NERC-approved version of the standard would be 
filed with the Commission for review. This public information 
could help potential adversaries in planning attacks.
NERC's Formal Notices
    Currently, the alternative to a mandatory reliability 
standard is for NERC to issue a formal notice encouraging 
utilities and others to take voluntary action to guard against 
a specific cyber or other vulnerability. Such a notice may be 
an Advisory, a Recommendation or an Essential Action. The 
notice approach allows for quicker action, but compliance with 
a notice is voluntary, and will likely produce inconsistent and 
potentially ineffective responses. For example, two Advisories 
and a Recommendation were issued in 2010 by NERC, regarding an 
identified cyber security threat referred to as ``Stuxnet.'' 
The details of actions taken to mitigate the vulnerabilities 
identified by Stuxnet, and the assets to which they apply, as 
well as their effectiveness, are not known. Reliance on 
voluntary measures to protect national security is 
fundamentally inconsistent with the conclusion Congress reached 
during enactment of EPAct 2005, that voluntary standards are 
not sufficient to protect the reliability of the bulk power 
system.


                               smart grid


    The need for vigilance will increase as new technologies 
are added to the bulk power system. For example, smart grid 
technology promises significant benefits in the use of 
electricity. These include the ability to better manage not 
only energy sources but also energy consumption. However, a 
smarter grid would permit two-way communication between the 
electric system and a large number of devices located outside 
of controlled utility environments, which will introduce many 
potential access points.
    Smart grid applications will automate many decisions on the 
supply and use of electricity to increase efficiencies and 
ultimately to allow cost savings. Without adequate physical and 
cyber protections, however, this level of automation may allow 
adversaries to gain access to the rest of the company's data 
and control systems and cause significant harm. Security 
features must be an integral consideration when developing 
smart grid technology and must be assured before widespread 
installation of new equipment. The challenge will be to focus 
not only on general approaches but, importantly, on the details 
of specific technologies and the risks they may present.
    Regarding data, there are multiple ways in which smart grid 
technologies may introduce new cyber vulnerabilities into the 
system. For example an attacker could gain access to a remote 
or intermediate smart grid device and change data values 
monitored or received from downstream devices, and pass the 
incorrect data upstream to cause operators or automatic 
programs to take incorrect actions.
    In regard to control systems, an attacker that gains access 
to the communication channels could order metering devices to 
disconnect customers, order previously shed load to come back 
on line prematurely, or order dispersed generation sources to 
turn off during periods when load is approaching generation 
capacity, causing instability and outages on the bulk power 
system. One of the potential capabilities of the smart grid is 
the ability to remotely disconnect service using advanced 
metering infrastructure (AMI). If insufficient security 
measures are implemented in a company's AMI application, an 
adversary may be able to access the AMI system and could 
conceivably disconnect every customer with an AMI device. If 
such an attack is widespread enough, the resultant 
disconnection of load on the distribution system could result 
in impacts to the bulk power system. If an adversary follows 
this disconnection event with a subsequent and targeted cyber 
attack against remote meters, the restoration of service could 
be greatly delayed.
    In addition to any smart grid related standards that may be 
adopted by the Commission, the CIP standards will apply to 
some, but not most, smart grid applications. The standards 
require users, owners and operators of the bulk power system to 
protect cyber assets, including hardware, software and data, 
which would affect the reliability or operability of the bulk 
power system. These assets are identified using a risk-based 
assessment methodology that identifies electric assets that are 
critical to the reliable operation of the bulk power system. If 
a smart grid device were to control a critical part of the bulk 
power system, it should be considered a critical cyber asset 
subject to the protection requirements of the CIP standards. 
However, this designation is currently up to the affected 
entity as part of its self-determination of critical cyber 
assets, as discussed previously.
    Many of the smart grid applications will be deployed at the 
distribution and end-user level. For example, some applications 
may be targeted at improving market efficiency in ways that may 
not have a reliability impact on the bulk power system, such 
that the protection requirements of the CIP standards, as they 
are currently written, may not apply. However, as discussed 
above, these applications either individually or in the 
aggregate could affect the bulk power system.


           physical security and other threats to reliability


    The existing reliability standards do not extend to 
physical threats to the grid, but physical threats can cause 
equal or greater destruction than cyber attacks and the Federal 
government should have no less ability to act to protect 
against such potential damage. One example of a physical threat 
is an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event. In 2001, Congress 
established a commission to assess the threat from EMP, with 
particular attention to be paid to the nature and magnitude of 
high-altitude EMP threats to the United States; vulnerabilities 
of U.S. military and civilian infrastructure to such attack; 
capabilities to recover from an attack; and the feasibility and 
cost of protecting military and civilian infrastructure, 
including energy infrastructure. In 2004, the EMP commission 
issued a report describing the nature of EMP attacks, 
vulnerabilities to EMP attacks, and strategies to respond to an 
attack.\1\ A second report was produced in 2008 that further 
investigated vulnerabilities of the Nation's infrastructure to 
EMP.\2\ Both electrical equipment and control systems can be 
damaged by EMP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Graham, Dr. William R. et al., Report of the Commission to 
Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) 
Attack (2004).
    \2\Dr. John S., Jr. et al., Report of the Commission to Assess the 
Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack 
(2008).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    An EMP may also be a naturally-occurring event caused by 
solar flares and storms disrupting the Earth's magnetic field. 
In 1859, a major solar storm occurred, causing auroral displays 
and significant shifts of the Earth's magnetic fields. As a 
result, telegraphs were rendered useless and several telegraph 
stations burned down. The impacts of that storm were muted 
because semiconductor technology did not exist at the time. 
Were the storm to happen today, according to an article in 
Scientific American, it could ``severely damage satellites, 
disable radio communications, and cause continent-wide 
electrical black-outs that would require weeks or longer to 
recover from.''\3\ Although storms of this magnitude occur 
rarely, storms and flares of lesser intensity occur more 
frequently. Storms of about half the intensity of the 1859 
storm occur every 50 years or so according to the authors of 
the Scientific American article, and the last such storm 
occurred in November 1960, leading to world-wide geomagnetic 
disturbances and radio outages. The power grid is particularly 
vulnerable to solar storms, as transformers are electrically 
grounded to the Earth and susceptible to damage from 
geomagnetically induced currents. The damage or destruction of 
numerous transformers across the country would result in 
reduced grid functionality and even prolonged power outages.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\Odenwald, Sten F. and Green, James L., Bracing the Satellite 
Infrastructure for a Solar Superstorm, Scientific American Magazine 
(Jul. 28, 2008).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In March 2010, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge) 
and their subcontractor Metatech released a study that explored 
the vulnerability of the electric grid to EMP-related events. 
This study was a joint effort contracted by FERC staff, the 
Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security 
and expanded on the information developed in other initiatives, 
including the EMP commission reports. The series of reports 
provided detailed technical background and outlined which 
sections of the power grid are most vulnerable, what equipment 
would be affected, and what damage could result. Protection 
concepts for each threat and additional methods for remediation 
were also included along with suggestions for mitigation. The 
results of the study support the general conclusion that EMP 
events pose substantial risk to equipment and operation of the 
Nation's power grid and under extreme conditions could result 
in major long term electrical outages. In fact, solar magnetic 
disturbances are inevitable with only the timing and magnitude 
subject to variability. The study assessed the 1921 solar 
storm, which has been termed a 1-in-100 year event, and applied 
it to today's power grid. The study concluded that such a storm 
could damage or destroy up to 300 bulk power system 
transformers interrupting service to 130 million people for a 
period of years.
    The existing reliability standards do not address EMP 
vulnerabilities. Protecting the electric generation, 
transmission and distribution systems from severe damage due to 
an EMP-related event would involve vulnerability assessments at 
every level of electric infrastructure.


                        the need for legislation


    In my view, section 215 of the Federal Power Act provides 
an adequate statutory foundation for the ERO to develop most 
reliability standards for the bulk power system. However, the 
nature of a national security threat by entities intent on 
attacking the U.S. through vulnerabilities in its electric grid 
stands in stark contrast to other major reliability 
vulnerabilities that have caused regional blackouts and 
reliability failures in the past, such as vegetation management 
and protective relay maintenance practices. Widespread 
disruption of electric service can quickly undermine the U.S. 
government, its military, and the economy, as well as endanger 
the health and safety of millions of citizens. Given the 
national security dimension to this threat, there may be a need 
to act quickly to protect the grid, to act in a manner where 
action is mandatory rather than voluntary, and to protect 
certain information from public disclosure.
    The Commission's current legal authority is inadequate for 
such action. This is true of both cyber and physical threats to 
the bulk power system that pose national security concerns.
    Any new legislation should address several key concerns. 
First, to prevent a significant risk of disruption to the grid, 
legislation should allow the Commission to take action before a 
cyber or physical national security incident has occurred. In 
my opinion, the cyber security discussion draft addresses this 
concern by allowing the Commission to timely act on cyber 
security vulnerabilities before an incident occurs and by 
giving the Secretary of Energy emergency authority to act on 
cyber security threats. In particular, the Commission should be 
able to require mitigation even before or while NERC and its 
stakeholders develop a standard, when circumstances require 
urgent action.
    Second, any legislation should allow the Commission to 
maintain appropriate confidentiality of sensitive information 
submitted, developed or issued under this authority. Without 
such confidentiality, the grid may be more vulnerable to attack 
and the Commission will not be able to adequately protect it. 
The cyber security discussion draft also includes provisions 
for protection of critical electric infrastructure information, 
which includes a provision for FERC to establish procedures to 
allow the Commission to release critical infrastructure 
information to the extent necessary to enable entities to 
implement any FERC order under the proposal. It also 
appropriately would require FERC to limit redistribution of 
information so that the information is only in the hands of 
those that need to know.
    Third, if additional reliability authority is limited to 
the bulk power system, as that term is currently defined in the 
FPA, it would not authorize Commission action to mitigate cyber 
or other national security threats to reliability that involve 
certain critical facilities and major population areas. The 
cyber security discussion draft would apply to any entity that 
owns, controls, or operates critical electric infrastructure. 
While Alaska and Hawaii would be excluded, the discussion draft 
requires the Secretary of Defense to prepare a comprehensive 
plan to protect any national defense facilities located in 
those states.
    Fourth, it is important that entities be able to recover 
costs they incur to mitigate vulnerabilities and threats. The 
cyber security discussion draft requires the Commission to 
permit public utilities to recover prudently incurred costs 
required to implement immediate actions ordered by the 
Secretary of Energy to avert or mitigate a cyber security 
threat. I support this provision and any clarifications that 
might better ensure recovery of costs incurred under this 
legislation.
    Finally, in my view, any legislation on national security 
threats to reliability should address not only cyber security 
threats but also natural events; i.e., a geomagnetic 
disturbance, or intentional physical malicious acts (targeting, 
for example, critical substations and generating stations) 
including threats from an electromagnetic pulse. This 
additional authority would not displace other means of 
protecting the grid, such as action by federal, state and local 
law enforcement and the National Guard. If particular 
circumstances cause both FERC and other governmental 
authorities to require action by utilities, FERC would 
coordinate with other authorities as appropriate.
    In short, any new authority should allow the Commission to 
quickly order mandatory measures that are focused and 
confidential to address fast-moving, sophisticated and targeted 
cyber and physical attacks and natural events while providing 
cost recovery to the affected entities.


                               conclusion


    The Commission's current authority is not adequate to 
address cyber or other national security threats to the 
reliability of our transmission and power system. These types 
of threats pose an increasing risk to our Nation's electric 
grid, which undergirds our government and economy and helps 
ensure the health and welfare of our citizens. Congress should 
address this risk now. The cyber security discussion draft in 
front of us today would go a long way to resolving this issue. 
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today. I would 
be happy to answer any questions you may have.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as ordered reported, are shown as follows (existing 
law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

                           FEDERAL POWER ACT


           The Act of June 10, 1920, Chapter 285, as Amended

    Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of 
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress 
assembled

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


PART II--REGULATION OF ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES ENGAGED IN INTERSTATE 
COMMERCE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SEC. 215. ELECTRIC RELIABILITY.

    (a) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
          [(1) The term](1) Bulk-power system.--
                  (A) In general.--The term ``bulk-power 
                system'' means--
                          [(A)](i) facilities and control 
                        systems necessary for operating an 
                        interconnected electric energy 
                        transmission network (or any portion 
                        thereof); [and]
                          [(B)](ii) electric energy from 
                        generation facilities needed to 
                        maintain transmission system 
                        reliability [.]; and
                          (iii) for purposes of section 224, 
                        facilities used for the local 
                        distribution of electric energy that 
                        the Commission determines to be 
                        critical electric infrastructure 
                        pursuant to section 224.
                  [The term](B) Exclusion.--Except as provided 
                in subparagraph (A), the term does not include 
                facilities used in the local distribution of 
                electric energy.
          (2) The terms ``Electric Reliability Organization'' 
        and ``ERO'' mean the organization certified by the 
        Commission under subsection (c) the purpose of which is 
        to establish and enforce reliability standards for the 
        bulk-power system, subject to Commission review.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (d) Reliability Standards.--(1) The Electric Reliability 
Organization shall file each reliability standard or 
modification to a reliability standard that it proposes to be 
made effective under this section with the Commission.
    (2) The Commission may approve, by rule or order, a 
proposed reliability standard or modification to a reliability 
standard if it determines that the standard is just, 
reasonable, not unduly discriminatory or preferential, and in 
the public interest. The Commission shall give due weight to 
the technical expertise of the Electric Reliability 
Organization with respect to the content of a proposed standard 
or modification to a reliability standard and to the technical 
expertise of a regional entity organized on an Interconnection-
wide basis with respect to a reliability standard to be 
applicable within that Interconnection, but shall not defer 
with respect to the effect of a standard on competition. A 
proposed standard or modification shall take effect upon 
approval by the Commission.
    (3) The Electric Reliability Organization shall rebuttably 
presume that a proposal from a regional entity organized on an 
Interconnection-wide basis for a reliability standard or 
modification to a reliability standard to be applicable on an 
Interconnection-wide basis is just, reasonable, and not unduly 
discriminatory or preferential, and in the public interest.
    (4) The Commission shall remand to the Electric Reliability 
Organization for further consideration a proposed reliability 
standard or a modification to a reliability standard that the 
Commission disapproves in whole or in part.
    (5) The Commission, upon its own motion or upon complaint, 
may order the Electric Reliability Organization to submit to 
the Commission a proposed reliability standard or a 
modification to a reliability standard that addresses a 
specific matter if the Commission considers such a new or 
modified reliability standard appropriate to carry out this 
section.
    (6) The final rule adopted under subsection (b)(2) shall 
include fair processes for the identification and timely 
resolution of any conflict between a reliability standard and 
any function, rule, order, tariff, rate schedule, or agreement 
accepted, approved, or ordered by the Commission applicable to 
a transmission organization. Such transmission organization 
shall continue to comply with such function, rule, order, 
tariff, rate schedule or agreement accepted, approved, or 
ordered by the Commission until
          (A) the Commission finds a conflict exists between a 
        reliability standard and any such provision;
          (B) the Commission orders a change to such provision 
        pursuant to section 206 of this part; and
          (C) the ordered change becomes effective under this 
        part.
If the Commission determines that a reliability standard needs 
to be changed as a result of such a conflict, it shall order 
the ERO to develop and file with the Commission a modified 
reliability standard under paragraph (4) or (5) of this 
subsection.
  (7) Temporary Emergency Orders for Cyber Security 
Vulnerabilities.--Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) through (6), 
if the Commission determines that immediate action is necessary 
to protect critical electric infrastructure for a cyber 
security vulnerability, the Commission may, without prior 
notice or hearing, after consulting the ERO, require the ERO--
          (A) to develop and issue a temporary emergency order 
        to address the cyber security vulnerability;
          (B) to make the temporary emergency order immediately 
        effective; and (C) to keep the temporary emergency 
        order in effect until--
                  (i) the ERO develops, and the Commission 
                approves, a final reliability standard under 
                this section; or
                  (ii) the Commission authorizes the ERO to 
                withdraw the temporary emergency order.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (i) Savings Provisions.--(1) The ERO shall have authority 
to develop and enforce compliance with reliability standards 
for only the bulk-power system.
    (2) This section does not authorize the ERO or the 
Commission to order the construction of additional generation 
or transmission capacity or to set and enforce compliance with 
standards for adequacy or safety of electric facilities or 
services.
    (3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt 
any authority of any State to take action to ensure the safety, 
adequacy, and reliability of electric service within that 
State, as long as such action is not inconsistent with any 
reliability standard, except that the State of New York may 
establish rules that result in greater reliability within that 
State, as long as such action does not result in lesser 
reliability outside the State than that provided by the 
reliability standards.
    (4) Within 90 days of the application of the Electric 
Reliability Organization or other affected party, and after 
notice and opportunity for comment, the Commission shall issue 
a final order determining whether a State action is 
inconsistent with a reliability standard, taking into 
consideration any recommendation of the ERO.
    (5) The Commission, after consultation with the ERO and the 
State taking action, may stay the effectiveness of any State 
action, pending the Commission's issuance of a final order.
    (6) Limitation.--The ERO shall have authority to develop 
and enforce compliance with reliability standards and temporary 
emergency orders with respect to a facility used in the local 
distribution of electric energy only to the extent the 
Commission determines the facility is so vital to the United 
States that the incapacity or destruction of the facility would 
have a debilitating impact on national security, national 
economic security, or national public health or safety.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 223. JOINT BOARDS ON ECONOMIC DISPATCH.

    (a) In General.--The Commission shall convene joint boards 
on a regional basis pursuant to section 209 of this Act to 
study the issue of security constrained economic dispatch for 
the various market regions. The Commission shall designate the 
appropriate regions to be covered by each such joint board for 
purposes of this section.
    (b) Membership.--The Commission shall request each State to 
nominate a representative for the appropriate regional joint 
board, and shall designate a member of the Commission to chair 
and participate as a member of each such board.
    (c) Powers.--The sole authority of each joint board 
convened under this section shall be to consider issues 
relevant to what constitutes ``security constrained economic 
dispatch'' and how such a mode of operating an electric energy 
system affects or enhances the reliability and affordability of 
service to customers in the region concerned and to make 
recommendations to the Commission regarding such issues.
    (d) Report to the Congress.--Within 1 year after enactment 
of this section, the Commission shall issue a report and submit 
such report to the Congress regarding the recommendations of 
the joint boards under this section and the Commission may 
consolidate the recommendations of more than one such regional 
joint board, including any consensus recommendations for 
statutory or regulatory reform.

SEC. 224. CRITICAL ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
          (1) Critical electric infrastructure.--The term 
        ``critical electric infrastructure'' means systems and 
        assets, whether physical or virtual, used for the 
        generation, transmission, or distribution of electric 
        energy affecting interstate commerce that, as 
        determined by the Commission or the Secretary (as 
        appropriate), are so vital to the United States that 
        the incapacity or destruction of the systems and assets 
        would have a debilitating impact on national security, 
        national economic security, or national public health 
        or safety.
          (2) Critical electric infrastructure information.--
        The term ``critical electric infrastructure 
        information'' means critical infrastructure information 
        relating to critical electric infrastructure.
          (3) Critical infrastructure information.--The term 
        ``critical infrastructure information'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 212 of the Critical 
        Infrastructure Information Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 131).
          (4) Cyber security threat.--The term ``cyber security 
        threat'' means the imminent danger of an act that 
        disrupts, attempts to disrupt, or poses a significant 
        risk of disrupting the operation of programmable 
        electronic devices or communications networks 
        (including hardware, software, and data) essential to 
        the reliable operation of critical electric 
        infrastructure.
          (5) Cyber security vulnerability.--The term ``cyber 
        security vulnerability'' means a weakness or flaw in 
        the design or operation of any programmable electronic 
        device or communication network that exposes critical 
        electric infrastructure to a cyber security threat.
          (6) Electric reliability organization.--The term 
        ``Electric Reliability Organization'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 215(a).
          (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the 
        Secretary of Energy.
    (b) Authority of Commission.--
          (1) Initial determination.--Not later than 120 days 
        after the date of enactment of this section, the 
        Commission shall determine whether reliability 
        standards established pursuant to section 215 are 
        adequate to protect critical electric infrastructure 
        from cyber security vulnerabilities.
          (2) Initial order.--Unless the Commission determines 
        that the reliability standards established pursuant to 
        section 215 are adequate to protect critical electric 
        infrastructure from cyber security vulnerabilities 
        within 120 days after the date of enactment of this 
        section, the Commission shall order the Electric 
        Reliability Organization to submit to the Commission, 
        not later than 180 days after the date of issuance of 
        the order, a proposed reliability standard or a 
        modification to a reliability standard that will 
        provide adequate protection of critical electric 
        infrastructure from cyber security vulnerabilities.
          (3) Subsequent determinations and orders.--If at any 
        time following the issuance of the initial order under 
        paragraph (2) the Commission determines that the 
        reliability standards established pursuant to section 
        215 are inadequate to protect critical electric 
        infrastructure from a cyber security vulnerability, the 
        Commission shall order the Electric Reliability 
        Organization to submit to the Commission, not later 
        than 180 days after the date of the determination, a 
        proposed reliability standard or a modification to a 
        reliability standard that will provide adequate 
        protection of critical electric infrastructure from the 
        cyber security vulnerability.
          (4) Reliability standards.--Any proposed reliability 
        standard or modification to a reliability standard 
        submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) shall be 
        developed and approved in accordance with section 
        215(d).
          (5) Additional time.--The Commission may, by order, 
        grant the Electric Reliability Organization reasonable 
        additional time to submit a proposed reliability 
        standard or a modification to a reliability standard 
        under paragraph (2) or (3).
    (c) Emergency Authority of Secretary.--
          (1) In general.--If the Secretary determines that 
        immediate action is necessary to protect critical 
        electric infrastructure from a cyber security threat, 
        the Secretary may require, by order, with or without 
        notice, persons subject to the jurisdiction of the 
        Commission under this section to take such actions as 
        the Secretary determines will best avert or mitigate 
        the cyber security threat.
          (2) Coordination with canada and mexico.--In 
        exercising the authority granted under this subsection, 
        the Secretary is encouraged to consult and coordinate 
        with the appropriate officials in Canada and Mexico 
        responsible for the protection of cyber security of the 
        interconnected North American electricity grid.
          (3) Consultation.--Before exercising the authority 
        granted under this subsection, to the extent 
        practicable, taking into account the nature of the 
        threat and urgency of need for action, the Secretary 
        shall consult with the entities described in subsection 
        (e)(1) and with officials at other Federal agencies, as 
        appropriate, regarding implementation of actions that 
        will effectively address the identified cyber security 
        threat.
          (4) Cost recovery.--The Commission shall establish a 
        mechanism that permits public utilities to recover 
        prudently incurred costs required to implement 
        immediate actions ordered by the Secretary under this 
        subsection.
    (d) Duration of Expedited or Emergency Rules or Orders.--
Any order issued by the Secretary under subsection (c) shall 
remain effective for not more than 90 days unless, during the 
90 day-period, the Secretary--
          (1) gives interested persons an opportunity to submit 
        written data, views, or arguments; and
          (2) affirms, amends, or repeals the rule or order.
    (e) Jurisdiction.--
          (1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 201, this 
        section shall apply to any entity that owns, controls, 
        or operates critical electric infrastructure.
          (2) Covered entities.--
                  (A) In general.--An entity described in 
                paragraph (1) shall be subject to the 
                jurisdiction of the Commission for purposes 
                of--
                          (i) carrying out this section; and
                          (ii) applying the enforcement 
                        authorities of this Act with respect to 
                        this section.
                  (B) Jurisdiction.--This subsection shall not 
                make an electric utility or any other entity 
                subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission 
                for any other purpose.
          (3) Alaska and hawaii excluded.--Except as provided 
        in subsection (f), nothing in this section shall apply 
        in the State of Alaska or Hawaii.
    (f) Defense Facilities.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense 
shall prepare, in consultation with the Secretary, the States 
of Alaska and Hawaii, the Territory of Guam, and the electric 
utilities that serve national defense facilities in those 
States and Territory, a comprehensive plan that identifies the 
emergency measures or actions that will be taken to protect the 
reliability of the electric power supply of the national 
defense facilities located in those States and Territory in the 
event of an imminent cybersecurity threat.
    (g) Protection of Critical Electric Infrastructure 
Information.--
          (1) In general.--Section 214 of the Critical 
        Infrastructure Information Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 133) 
        shall apply to critical electric infrastructure 
        information submitted to the Commission or the 
        Secretary under this section, or developed by a Federal 
        power marketing administration or the Tennessee Valley 
        Authority under this section or section 215, to the 
        same extent as that section applies to critical 
        infrastructure information voluntarily submitted to the 
        Department of Homeland Security under that Act (6 
        U.S.C. 131 et seq.).
          (2) Rules prohibiting disclosure.--Notwithstanding 
        section 552 of title 5, United States Code, the 
        Secretary and the Commission shall prescribe 
        regulations prohibiting disclosure of information 
        obtained or developed in ensuring cyber security under 
        this section if the Secretary or Commission, as 
        appropriate, decides disclosing the information would 
        be detrimental to the security of critical electric 
        infrastructure.
          (3) Procedures for sharing information.--
                  (A) In general.--The Secretary and the 
                Commission shall establish procedures on the 
                release of critical infrastructure information 
                to entities subject to this section, to the 
                extent necessary to enable the entities to 
                implement rules or orders of the Commission or 
                the Secretary.
                (B) Requirements.--The procedures shall--
                          (i) limit the redissemination of 
                        information described in subparagraph 
                        (A) to ensure that the information is 
                        not used for an unauthorized purpose;
                          (ii) ensure the security and 
                        confidentiality of the information;
                          (iii) protect the constitutional and 
                        statutory rights of any individuals who 
                        are subjects of the information; and
                          (iv) provide data integrity through 
                        the timely removal and destruction of 
                        obsolete or erroneous names and 
                        information.
    (h) Access to Classified Information.--
          (1) Authorization required.--No person shall be 
        provided with access to classified information (as 
        defined in section 6.1 of Executive Order 13526 (50 
        U.S.C. 435 note; relating to classified national 
        security information)) relating to cyber security 
        threats or cyber security vulnerabilities under this 
        section without the appropriate security clearances.
          (2) Security clearances.--The appropriate Federal 
        agencies or departments shall cooperate with the 
        Secretary or the Commission, to the maximum extent 
        practicable consistent with applicable procedures and 
        requirements, in expeditiously providing appropriate 
        security clearances to individuals that have a need-to-
        know (as defined in section 6.1 of that Executive 
        Order) classified information to carry out this 
        section.

                                  
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