Steve Daines: “modernizing our Nation's energy policy is vital to protecting our national security. The bill that we are discussing…”

“modernizing our Nation's energy policy is vital to protecting our national security. The bill that we are discussing today advances our Nation's energy independence and provides for new measures to defend our critical infrastructure. Specifically, cyber threats challenge the security of our Nation and the integrity of our energy infrastructure. This bill will formally introduce the foundational principles of cyber security into our Nation's energy security calculus. However, challenging the Department of Energy to enhance the cyber security of our Nation's electric grid is not enough if the Department of Energy does not have the requisite cyber experts to fulfill the mission. The amendment I submitted today, amendment 3119, will address the gap between the Department of Energy's mission to keep our Nation's energy infrastructure safe from cyber attacks and the Department of Energy's ability to actually do it. Currently, the bill provides for a 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board composed of nine members. The purpose of this board is to anticipate the needs of the future energy workforce. While the bill requires that the board members be representative of disciplines such as labor organizations, education, and minority parties, nowhere does the bill require that a single member of the board have any background on cyber.…”