WASHINGTON, DC – Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Fred Upton (R-MI) issued the following statement after the Subcommittee on Energy favorably reported to the full committee his bill, H.R. 370, the Pipeline and LNG Facility Cybersecurity Preparedness Act.

“This is important legislation that will strengthen the Department of Energy’s ability to respond to physical and cyber-threats to our nation’s pipelines and LNG facilities,” Upton said. “We know that Russian agents and other nation states are waging cyberwar on our energy infrastructure. It’s critical to address these threats, which HR 370 does. The bottom line is this: if something happens, we do not ever want to be in the position of ruing the day something here didn’t move forward on a bipartisan basis. We never want to be in a position where we’re saying, ‘We’re sorry. We didn’t take action.’ This bill takes action. We need to get it through the House, to the Senate, and on to the President’s desk.”

To protect our nation from physical and cyber threats to our energy infrastructure, H.R. 370 would:

• Require the secretary to carry out a program to coordinate federal agencies, states, and the energy sector to ensure the security, resiliency, and survivability of natural gas pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines, and liquefied natural gas facilities.
• Authorize the Department of Energy to coordinate response and recovery to physical and cyber incidents impacting the energy sector and develop advanced cybersecurity applications and technologies.
• Allow the Department of Energy to perform pilot demonstration projects and develop workforce development curricula relating to physical and cybersecurity to help the energy sector evaluate, prioritize, and improve physical and cybersecurity capabilities.
  

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