Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The GRID Act has three basic components. First, it establishes Federal authority to address emergency situations. If the President identifies an imminent threat to the bulk power system or to other parts of the grid that serve critical defense facilities, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can issue an emergency order requiring measures to protect against this threat. This authority covers threats from cyberattacks, from electromagnetic weapons, from direct physical attacks, or from solar storms. However, in many cases, we will not know about a cyberattack or other threat to the grid until it's too late. Accordingly, the GRID Act establishes measures to protect the grid against key vulnerabilities so that, if and when an emergency does happen, we are already prepared. Most importantly, if FERC identifies a vulnerability to a cyber or to an electromagnetic attack that has not adequately been addressed, it has the authority to require intrameasures to protect the bulk power system. The legislation also requires FERC, within 6 months of enactment, to establish measures to protect against the Aurora vulnerability to cyberattack. That vulnerability was identified nearly 3 years ago, but the current standard-setting process has not addressed it. That is unacceptable. It must be fixed.…”